The New Design Museum from Design Museum on Vimeo. Film by Crane.tv

In 2014, the Design Museum is moving from its current location in Shad Thames to the former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington.

Designs for the site have been produced by two of the world’s most innovative architectural practices: John Pawson has redesigned the interior of the Grade 2* listed building and OMA has planned the surrounding residential development.

We’ll miss having the Design Museum here on our doorstep at VL.com, but look forward to the many exciting developments that will come with the new, bigger space in West London.

The Olympic Torch, the London 2012 Velodrome and a piece of lace from the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress all feature in the longlist for Designs of the Year at the Design Museum.

A wind-propelled landmine detonator, virtual Tesco store and pop-up cinema (Folly for a Flyover in Hackney, East London) were also selected for the longlist.

The nominated products will be on show at the Design Museum from next month. The winners will be selected by a jury and announced on 24 April.

• Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum from 8 February to 15 July 2012

The London 2012 football kits for 10 Puma-partnered African countries were unveiled at the Design Museum earlier this year. It was the perfect opportunity for us to look at the exhibition for our World in London blog project. Cameroonian artist Barthelemy Toguo was chosen to design his country’s kit, which features a lion’s head.

“This imposing animal is emblematic of Africa, simultaneously expressing forcefulness and serenity,” said Toguo. “It also suggests an ability to overcome any adversary, which is relevant to the nature of a sporting challenge.”

Cameroon’s men’s football team won the country’s first Gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, when they beat Spain in a penalty shootout. This year, the men’s team have been knocked out of the competition, while the women’s team have qualified for the 2012 Games.

You can buy tickets for the Olympic Football Tournaments at www.tickets.london2012.com

Do you know anywhere else you can see Cameroonian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

St Pancras Station has unveiled the tallest-ever Lego Christmas tree, constructed by professional Lego builder Duncan Titmarsh out of 600,000 Lego bricks.

Ever-fashionable Claridge’s boasts a tree by Lanvin’s creative director Alber Elbaz, complete with marionettes dressed in Lanvin-designed Claridge’s uniforms.

Covent Garden has a hand-picked British tree festooned with red and white lights, as well as topiary reindeer, giant mirror balls and a nativity art installation.

Giles Miller is creating the world’s tallest cardboard Christmas tree for the Design Museum. See it in the museum’s atrium from tomorrow, Friday 2 December.

And the lighting ceremony for Trafalgar Square’s famous Christmas tree – donated by the people of Norway every year since 1947 – will take place this evening, Thursday 1 December.

What’s your favourite Christmas tree in London this Christmas? Let us know below or add your photos to the Visit London Flickr pool

Sports vs Design will explore the design innovations that have helped athletes to break records, and also look at cases where sports bodies have tried to limit the effects of new equipment.

The exhibition will celebrate both the function and beauty of sports design, featuring the work of designers, artists and photographers.

Sports vs Design is at the Design Museum from 18 July to 18 November 2012

I took the opportunity to tour the Former Commonwealth Institute in Holland Park, regarded by English Heritage as the second most important modern building in London after The Royal Festival Hall.

Displaying artefacts and information from across the Commonwealth, I remember the building primarily for its lifelike Inuit and skidoo, as seen aged eight. A few decades on, and now lacking its many exhibits, the building’s entire structure is visible, and it is a revelation.

Opened in 1962, the structure is made up of a large central hall topped by a concrete “hyperbolic paraboloid” roof – think of a piece of paper suspended from two diagonal corners, and you get the rough idea. Two galleried floors wrap around a central marble platform, all atmospherically lit by modest skylights and the finest in 1960s pendants.

The building has stood empty since its closure in 2002, but is set to be revitalised thanks to the ambitious relocation plans of The Design Museum, currently based in Shad Thames.

Architect Rem Koolhaas will transform the space, with exhibition and educational areas, a 200-seater auditorium, restaurant and shop. Sadly the building will be closed to the public until then – so paraboloid fans will just have to wait!

Full Design Museum plans for the Commonwealth Institute are being finalised and submitted for planning approval in the next few months, and the new museum will open in 2014. Open House London 2012 is scheduled for 22 and 23 September.

What did you see at this year’s Open House London? Why not add your pictures to the Visit London flickr pool.

You might not have heard of veteran product designer Kenneth Grange but you’ll almost certainly be familiar with his designs.

These include Intercity 125 trains, rural post boxes, London black taxis, Wilkinson Protector razors, Parker pens and Kenwood food mixers.

A new retrospective at London’s Design Museum gives an insight into the development of Grange’s products over the past 50 years.

The exhibition includes drawings, photos, prototypes and finished products. Some of the most fascinating designs were never produced, including a proposed Channel Tunnel train.

I was amazed by the scope of Grange’s work, and the number of items designed by him that have become part of my daily life.

Once you’ve visited the show, you’ll never use a razor, jump into a taxi or pick up a pen again without thinking about all the work that’s gone into designing it.

Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern is at the Design Museum until 30 October 2011

This amazing installation will be on show from tomorrow at the Design Museum, as part of the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2011 exhibition.

The digital wall takes a photo of your face, which then appears when you “throw” virtual paint at the wall. Originally designed for Nokia, the concept could be used anywhere from conferences to schools, according to designers Greyworld.

The Design Museum exhibition features some of the most interesting designs from the past year, including fashion, cars, architecture, furniture and even London’s “Boris bikes“.

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum from 16 February to 7 August 2011

Every September, the current crop of London exhibitions close to make way for exciting new shows. That means it’s your last chance to see some of the summer’s hottest exhibitions…

Closing on 5 September:

• Rude Britannia: British Comic Art
• Ernesto Neto
• The New Décor
• Francis Alys
• Urban Africa – David Adjaye’s Photographic Journey
• Sustainable Futures

Closing later this month:

• Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes, Discoveries – 12 Sep
• The Surreal House – 12 Sep
• Magnificent Maps – 19 Sep
• Wolfgang Tillmans – 19 Sep
• BP Portrait Award – 19 Sep
• Sargent and the Sea – 26 Sep

But don’t worry, there’s plenty to look forward to this autumn. Major new exhibitions include Gauguin, Treasures from Budapest, Serge Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, and the Turner Prize.

The Design Museum today announced a wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions for 2010, covering all aspects of design, from architecture and products to photography and fashion.

The first new show, Sustainable Futures – Can Design Save the World?, opens on 31 March, showcasing designs that could help us live more sustainable lives in the future.

(If you’re interested in sustainable design, don’t miss the Royal College of Art’s current exhibition, Sunny Memories, where you can see prototypes of new solar powered products - from a glowing bench to a mobile charger for homeless people.)

Back at the Design Museum, an exhibition of photos by David Adjaye also opens on 31 March, documenting the architect’s journey through Africa, and celebrating the continent’s rich diversity of culture, buildings and urban landscape.

Next up is Illustrated Fashion, opening on 23 June, which features some of the world’s most recognised fashion drawings, including work by Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons and Victor & Rolf. The original drawings will be displayed alongside key garments from couture houses.

Then on 22 September, British architect John Pawson  - whose commissions include the Cistercian Monastery of Novy Dvur in Bohemia, Calvin Klein’s flagship store in Manhattan, and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – gets a chance to show his work.

Although the contents of Pawson’s exhibition are still to be confirmed, you can expect touchable exhibits, walk-in buildings, large-scale photos of architecture, and a biographical account of how Pawson lives in his own home.

Finally, two of the Design Museum’s regular shows return next year.

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year opens on 17 February. Around 100 designs shortlisted for the prestigious prize will be on display at the museum, arranged in seven categories: architecture, transport, graphics, interactive, product, furniture and fashion.

And from now until March 2010, the Designers in Residence scheme continues, with emerging designers invited to take over an area of the museum.

With a possible move to a new location at London’s Commonwealth Institute in 2013, and a packed year ahead, these are exciting times for the Design Museum.