Terence Conran biography
Born in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London.
1948: Enrolled in the Central School of Arts and Crafts in Camden, north London.
1949: Shared a studio in London’s East End with Eduardo Paolozzi, where he began making furniture.
1952: Opens Conran & Company from a basement in Notting Hill, selling furniture from a showroom in Piccadilly Arcade.
1956: Set up Conran Design Group, designing among other things a store for Mary Quant in Knightsbridge.
1963: Moved his operations to 40,000square-foot factory in Thetford, Norfolk, taking 80 staff and their families with him.
1964: Habitat opens on Fulham Road in Chelsea with staff in uniforms by Mary Quant and hair styled by Vidal Sassoon, with a second branch on Tottenham Court Road a year later.
1966: Habitat opens further branches in Manchester, Brighton and Glasgow.
1970: Neal Street Restaurant opens, which until its closure in 2007 was run by Terence’s sister Priscilla and her husband, Antonio Carluccio.
1973: Habitat’s largest branch opens on King’s Road and first branch of Conran shop opens on site of the original Habitat store on Fulham Road.
1982: Purchased Mothercare; launch of Habitat Basics so popular in Japan that Seibu (the department store that franchised the line) developed the “no brand” formula to create MUJI.
Receives his knighthood to become Sir Terence Conran.
Buys the Michelin Building in Fulham Road and refurbishes it to become home for the Conran Shop, Octopus publishing and Bibendum restaurant.
The Design Museum opens at Butler’s Wharf, London.
The opening, in partnership with Wyndham International, of London’s Great Eastern Hotel which became one of the most successful in the capital. It was sold to Hyatt in 2006.
2007: Launches range of cookware for Royal Doulton. Becomes an honourary Doctor of Science at Southbank University.
Sir Terence cuts the ribbon to open the new Design Museum in Kensington High Street on November 24. Awarded the Order of the Companions of Honour in the Queen’s Honours List.
The new Design Museum welcomes 780,000 visitors in its opening year.