LONDON
Download design history at the Design Museum; the “Designer Maker User” exhibit displays hundreds of items spanning various disciplines, from fashion to architecture, Vespas to robots.
Photograph by Gravity Road
HOLON, ISRAEL
The exuberance of Israel’s Design Museum Holon starts with its exterior of looping curves and continues with works by international and Israeli designers.
Photograph by Vladi Alon, Alamy Stock Photo
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
The Museum of Tomorrow, in Rio de Janeiro, inspires visitors to conjure a bright future through a largely digital experience that looks at philosophical ideas and questions — where we come from, where we’re headed — rooted in science.
Photograph by Eduardo García, Getty Images
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
In Seoul, the futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza celebrates such luminaries as Louis Vuitton and delves into Korea’s own influence on international design.
Photograph by Topic Images/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Opened in Washington, D.C., in 2016, the bold National Museum of African American History and Culture is the largest museum dedicated to the story of African Americans, from slavery to the Obama presidency and beyond.
Photograph by Patrick Witty, National Geographic Creative
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
In Cape Town, the the biggest African museum to open in a century, celebrates the continent’s thriving contemporary-art scene.
Photograph by Rodger Bosch, AFP/Getty Images
BORDEAUX, FRANCE
Cheers to wine and bold design at Bordeaux’s Cité du Vin. The cultural centre, all fluid curves, is a multi-sensory playground with 19 themed spaces, topped by a belvedere with sweeping views.
Photograph by Sebastien ORTOLA, Redux
ROSKILDE, DENMARK
Denmark’s Ragnarock museum rolls out the carpet for music fans, with iconic outfits and musical instruments from the 1950s on.
Photograph by MVRDV Ossip van Duivenbode
LONDON, ENGLAND
Also rebooted: London’s Tate Modern, now with more exhibit and performance spaces, and new dining options. A must: the rooftop terrace, with panoramas over London.
Photograph by Alfred Buellesbach, Visum, Redux
VALENCIA, SPAIN
Curiosity is what the new Science Museum in Valencia, Spain, aims to instill as it explores the intersection of science, technology, and life; experiments included.
Photograph by Juan Luis Duran
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
A redesign nearly tripled exhibit space at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; seven floors of galleries, restaurants, and a huge living wall — seeded with thousands of plants — make for a great day trip.
Photograph by Henrik Kam, SFMOMA