It seems appropriate to dedicate my first ‘Spotlight On’ to Terence Conran who died this week (12/09/20) aged 88. A visionary, entrepreneur, retailer and restaurateur as well as a designer, his legacy as a figurehead for design in the UK and throughout the world is profound and far-reaching. He revolutionised the way we live through his dedication to good design and his commitment to making life better for everyone.

The first Habitat store on Fulham Road, London 1964 Photo: Habitat

Terence Conran opened the doors to the first Habitat store on Fulham Road in 1964 presenting modern homeware to post-war Britain. Not only did Conran introduce the UK to duvets and flat-pack furniture, way before Ikea, he pioneered open-plan living and dramatically changed the way homes looked. He changed the way we shopped, lived and dined, creating the concept of ‘lifestyle’ as we know it.

After Habitat came The Conran Shop, which today remains the high street store to offer access to iconic designs and designers as was originally intended. He opened more than fifty restaurants such as Bibendum, Quaglino’s and Bluebird and wrote more than fifty books offering guides on design, decorating your home and even how to make your home more eco-friendly.

One of his proudest achievements was the creation of The Design Museum in 1989, originally situated on Shad Thames which now resides in Kensington. It was established to promote awareness of design in education, industry, commerce and culture.

Design Museum, Kensington, London Photo: Design Museum

The vast number of obituaries and tributes dedicated to Terence Conran this week demonstrate how deep his impact and influence spans. A mentor to Thomas Heatherwick and a father figure to Tom Dixon, Conran was passionate about nurturing design talent and impacted not just the lives of creatives, but of an entire nation.