Designer Dundee

Saturday, 03 October 2020

We headed North recently for a weekend away to celebrate 10 years of marriage. We had planned to visit Dundee back in May but Covid-19 put paid to those plans. So it was rescheduled and we packed our bag and headed North for a visit to a revamped Designer Dundee!

On arrival we immediately hit the streets around our hotel as we had heard that street art had hit Dundee in a big way. We weren’t disappointed with painted pavements, wall art and shop windows all getting lots of lovely from talented Dundonians…

This painted pavement is a simple but effective way to brighten up streets

No surprise that this wall art of flowers and insects caught our eye – beautiful!

Empty shops are made to look beautiful with amazing window displays

As you would expect there are nods to the Beano, Desperate Dan and Oor Wullie throughout the City. We bumped into Oor Wullie in The McManus Museum and we were glad to see he was wearing a mask and staying safe!

Stay safe and wear a mask – like Oor Wullie!

Gardens are always a big draw for us so we headed to Slessor Gardens in the heart of the city to see what it would behold and we weren’t disappointed. Initially it looks like a large grassy space (where events are held in non-Covid times) but look closer to find amazing garden rooms with themes such as literature, medicine, sensory or parts of the world. Each has a space to relax and these were being well used by locals and visitors. You could also visit a website to get a plant list used in each garden room created. Nice designer touches Dundee!

The sensory garden was filled with colourful acrylic panels, interactive sounds and sensory planting.

No designer Dundee visit could be complete without a visit to the V&A. It is just as stunning from the outside with its amazing architecture. We love the petals where you are encouraged to create your own chalky designs.

The V&A is a designer’s paradise

One of the reasons we headed to Dundee was to visit the Mary Quant exhibition. We are a big fan of her fashion and it was wonderful to see so many of her designs under one roof. We highly recommend a visit and to the general museum at the V&A too. An amazing addition to Designer Dundee!