Hönnunarsafn Íslands
Museum in Garðabær that collects and shows Icelandic design from 1900 to the present, with designer residencies and a museum shop.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
In 1998 the Ministry of Education and the town of Garðabær agreed to run jointly an Icelandic design museum that would collect and show applied arts. Discussion of such a museum had been going on since 1992, when the association Form Ísland (Form Iceland) convened a discussion group, and a committee reported its conclusions in early 1997. At first the museum was a department of the National Museum of Iceland, but in December 2006 the town of Garðabær took over its operation and runs it as an institution of the municipality.
The museum first had a small room at Garðatorg, and in 2009 it was given a site at Garðatorg 1. Regular exhibitions began there in May 2010. Today the building is divided into six spaces: an exhibition hall on the second floor; a designer residency, where designers work in full view for three to four months at a time; a small exhibition space called Pallurinn (The Platform), which opened in 2022; Smiðjan (The Workshop), from 2019; a research space; and a museum shop.
The collection comprises about 5,000 objects from 1900 to the present day. The permanent exhibition Hönnunarsafnið sem heimili (The Design Museum as a Home), on display since January 2023, shows about 200 examples of Icelandic design arranged as a home floor plan. The museum also offers family workshops, storytelling sessions and school visits.
Highlights
- The permanent exhibition The Design Museum as a Home, with about 200 objects
- Designer residencies in full view of visitors
- Pallurinn (The Platform), a small exhibition space for smaller shows
- Family workshops and storytelling sessions for children
- Museum shop with products by more than 40 Icelandic designers
Permanent exhibition
- Hönnunarsafnið sem heimili – About 200 examples of Icelandic design from various periods are arranged as a home floor plan: furniture, tableware, clothing, books and textiles that show a selection of works by Icelandic designers and craftspeople.
- Founded
- 2010
- Operated by
- Garðabær
Admission & discounts
| Adults | ISK 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | ISK 500Senior citizens |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children under 18 enter free. |
| Seniors | ISK 500 |
| Visitors with disabilities | freePeople with disabilities enter free. |
| Students & apprentices | freeStudents enter free. |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
The museum regularly offers family workshops and storytelling sessions, for example Stories of Things (Sögur um hluti) and a Bag Workshop (Töskusmiðja).
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
The museum shop sells design products by more than 40 Icelandic designers, and books connected to the exhibitions and the collection.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | In the Workshop (Smiðjan), tailored workshops for compulsory school groups are held in connection with the museum's exhibitions, as well as open workshops and lectures. |
