The museum shows Danish and international industrial design, decorative arts and craft, and is one of the central exhibition venues in the Nordic region in this field. It was founded in 1890 and has been housed since 1926 in the former Royal Frederik's Hospital in Frederiksstaden, a Rococo building from 1752-57 designed by Nicolai Eigtved and Lauritz de Thurah. Kaare Klint designed the interior in the late 1920s.
The museum garden has outdoor seating in summer, and the FORMAT café in the heart of the museum can be visited without a ticket on opening days. The design workshop offers workshops and teaching at all education levels. The entrance, parking and toilet are wheelchair accessible.
