Behind the Door Winter Auction

Online auction | Tuesday 29 November to Thursday 1 December 2022

Win exclusive experiences and stunning designer pieces from leading UK designers and creatives, with proceeds supporting the Museum’s Behind the Door campaign, tackling hidden homelessness among women and families in London.

Pre-register to bid

Pre-register from Monday 21 November to participate in the online auction and receive a notification as soon as bidding is open.

Bidding opens at 11am on Tuesday 29 November 2022 and will close at 8pm on 1 December 2022. Go to our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feed for the latest updates.

Proceeds from the auction support Behind the Door, the Museum’s campaign to tackle hidden homelessness among women and families in London and beyond. Behind the Door partners with London Homeless Collective, bringing together over 25 charities working directly with people experiencing homelessness to provide vital services and relief, including Shelter, Centrepoint and The Salvation Army. 

Select prizes up for auction

With many minds turning to holiday gifts for loved ones, the Museum is proud to offer a range of fantastic prizes kindly donated by Museum supporters, ambassadors and friends, including: 

• A three-night stay for up to six guests at Life House - a stunning, peaceful retreat designed by architect John Pawson set in rural Wales near Llanbister, donated by Living Architecture 
• A stay at The Hayloft, part of a set of 19^th century farm buildings in the Cotswolds, stunningly restored by architectural practice Richard Parr Associates. Featured in the Sunday Times Style magazine, The Hayloft is a cosy, high-concept retreat, with a charming, private garden and is set in miles of beautiful countryside, perfect for relaxing walks. Donated by Richard Parr 
• A stay in the Artist Suite at Artist Residence Bristol, an eclectic, romantic bolthole in a Georgian townhouse with huge windows looking onto Bristol’s leafy Portland Square. Donated by Artist Residence Hotels, the stay includes a welcome drink and breakfast 
• A private tea and tour of Sotheby’s art collection with Hannah O’Leary, Head of Modern & Contemporary African Art for the prestigious auction house, donated by Hannah O’Leary for Sotheby’s 
• A fascinating private tour of fashion and textile historian and researcher Meg Andrews’ extensive collection of rare and antique clothing, donated and led by Meg Andrews  
• A porcelain tea set in Harlem Toile de Jouy, designed exclusively for Wedgwood by Sheila Bridges, who Time magazine named America’s best interior designer. This tea set was part of My Beautiful Georgian Twisted Fantasy, a room set curated by The Cornrow that resided at Museum of the Home for its Festival of Sleep in summer 2022. Donated by Wedgwood 
• A range of exclusive signed books, homewares, scents, jewellery and other items, donated by Milli Proust, Tatty Devine, Weruzo, Conran, Maya Njie and Yotam Ottolenghi, among many others. 

Visit the auction page

Museum of the Home extends its thanks to Carolyn Asome, Deborah Johnson, Sarah Bedingfield-Shutt and Ali Moss-Thomas for their generosity in supporting the creation of Behind the Door Winter Auction. 

About Behind the Door

Behind the Door is our campaign for change to tackle the issues faced by women and families experiencing homelessness in the UK: an increasing but under-resourced problem. The campaign is a two-year partnership between the Museum of the Home and the London Homeless Collective.

As winter draws in and the cost of living crisis takes hold, more women and families face the prospect of homelessness. As living on the streets is so dangerous for women, many survive instead by couch surfing, moving between friends’ spare rooms, or in unsafe emergency accommodations – while many continue to work jobs and get children to school.

This ‘hidden homelessness’ means Behind the Door’s work is more important than ever. 

Between two previous online auctions, the much-loved Yard Sale event at the Museum this Spring and other activities, Behind the Door has raised more than £100,000 to support London Homeless Collective. This has funded the opening of the Marylebone Project, a 24-hour drop-in centre for women facing homelessness.