Plain Simple Useful

Sir Terence Conran was one of the world's best-known designers, retailers and restaurateurs. Born in 1931 he founded the Conran Design Studio in 1956, and in 1964 opened the first of the Habitat chain of home furnishing stores that revolutionized design on the British high street in the '60s and '70s and continued to expand its influence around the globe. Later Terence established The Conran Shop and opened stores in London, Paris, Germany, New York, across Japan as well as his largest store ever in Seoul, South Korea. In the 1990s Terence founded Conran Restaurants, opening iconic restaurants, hotels and bars around the world including Quaglino's, Bluebird, Mezzo, Guastavino's and Le Pont de la Tour. His other restaurant ventures included the iconic Bibendum in Chelsea and The Boundary in Shoreditch. In 1989 he founded the Design Museum in London, the world's first museum dedicated to design, which moved to larger premises in the former Commonwealth Building in Kensington, in 2016. Terence wrote more than 50 informative books that reflect his philosophy - that good design improves the quality of people's lives. Terence was knighted for his services to design in 1983, and in 2018 he was made a Companion of Honour by Her Majesty The Queen, one of the highest distinctions available in the United Kingdom.