At Museum der Dinge, the “Milieu Things” exhibition (running until 02.03.2026) offers a chance to discover “object metaphors” that reveal insights into class and taste. Situated on busy Leipziger Straße, the Museum der Dinge of Werkbundarchiv is one of the city’s most overlooked cultural spots. Completely visible on the corner yet somehow tucked away, it displays objects — everyday items we use but rarely pay attention to. Here, visitors marvel at the worthless and the valuable, the beautiful, the smooth, the crooked, the dirty, the discarded, and the meticulously collected. From porcelain fuses to toy dogs, from cosmetic bottles to napkin holders. What unites all these objects is that they were designed, shaped, and created by humans. The exhibition invites reflection not only on their use and function but also on their cultural and material implications. Alongside the picturesque and curious permanent collection, the temporary show “Milieu Things” makes these implications vividly tangible.
The title, referencing the theories of Pierre Bourdieu, is a nod to the exhibition’s focus. Countless objects tell stories of class, taste, and social connections, whether they’re Balenciaga or DHL. Visitors are guided through this frame of reference with excellently written, accessible texts. One promise to all attendees: you will learn a lot here, about beauty, the world, design, social belonging, and very likely yourself. No matter how much you think you already know about these things.
Text: Hilka Dirks / Credits: Armin Herrmann; “Gesellschaft beim Kartenspiel” 1757, Daniel Chodowiecki (1726–1801), oil on canvas, Stadtmuseum Berlin, Reproduktion: Christel Lehmann
Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge, Leipziger Str. 54, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Milieu Things until 02.03.2026
@museumderdinge
