Honestly, if you go looking for a "MoMA SoHo" museum with ticket booths and sprawling galleries of oil paintings, you’re going to be wandering around 81 Spring Street looking very confused. Let’s clear this up immediately. There is no MoMA SoHo museum anymore—at least not in the way the Guggenheim or the Whitney have satellite branches. What lives there now is the MoMA Design Store SoHo, and it just went through a massive, top-to-bottom renovation that finished in late 2025.
It’s basically the cool, younger sibling of the Midtown flagship.
While the Midtown museum is where you go to stare at The Starry Night and feel small, the SoHo spot is where you go to actually touch the art—or at least the stuff inspired by it. This isn't just a gift shop. Following the 2025 redesign by Peterson Rich Office (PRO), the space has been stripped back to its 1884 bones. They literally peeled back the layers of crappy 20th-century drywall and dropped ceilings to reveal the original cast-iron columns and 19th-century masonry.
It feels raw. It feels like New York.
The 2025 Redesign: What’s Actually New?
Walking into the MoMA Design Store SoHo today is a completely different experience than it was two years ago. The architects moved the entrance back to its original 1880s central position. You’ve got these massive, reopened windows that let the SoHo light pour in, making the whole 6,600-square-foot space feel less like a retail box and more like an open-air pavilion.
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One of the coolest additions is the Modern Mural.
Right now, it features LOVE NYC by Nina Chanel Abney. It’s this vibrant, site-specific work that uses her signature paper cut-out style. You can see it from the street, and it acts as this bridge between the high-brow curation of the museum uptown and the chaotic, fashionable energy of downtown.
The layout changed, too.
- They ditched the old, cramped registers at the front.
- Now, you walk into a "storytelling" area with rotating installations.
- There’s a new blue perforated-steel shelving system by Rareraw (a Korean brand making its U.S. debut here).
- They cut the inventory by about 30%, which sounds weird for a store, right? But it makes the stuff that is there feel way more important.
Is it a Museum or a Store?
It’s sort of both. MoMA treats the objects here with the same reverence they give a Picasso. Every single item—from a $15 HAY vegetable peeler to a $5,000 Eames chair—has to be approved by the museum’s curators.
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They use a set of "Good Design" criteria that hasn't changed much since the 1950s. Basically, if it’s not innovative, functional, and aesthetically "right," it doesn't make the cut. You’ll find things like the classic Sky Umbrella, Braun calculators that inspired the first iPhone, and those weirdly satisfying 3D-printed vases.
There's a deep focus on the "everyday." The museum's philosophy is that you shouldn't just look at good design once a year on a field trip; you should hold it in your hand while you’re making coffee or checking the time.
Getting There and Timing Your Visit
The store is right in the heart of SoHo’s shopping district. If you’re taking the subway:
- N or R train to Prince Street (it’s a two-minute walk).
- 6 train to Spring Street (literally around the corner).
Current Hours for 2026:
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- Monday–Saturday: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- Sunday: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Pro tip: Go on a Tuesday morning if you can. SoHo on a Saturday afternoon is a special kind of hell involving slow-moving tourists and influencers doing photoshoots in the middle of the street. If you go when it first opens during the week, you can actually appreciate the architecture without getting elbowed.
Why People Get Confused About "MoMA SoHo"
Back in the 90s, MoMA did actually have a gallery space in SoHo at 118 Prince Street. People still talk about it like it's there. It isn't. That closed ages ago.
When people search for "MoMA SoHo New York" now, they are almost always looking for the design store at 81 Spring St. If you want actual galleries with rotating exhibitions, you still have to head up to 53rd Street. However, the SoHo store does host events—talks with designers, product launches, and sometimes small pop-up "displays" that feel very museum-adjacent.
The Best Stuff to Buy (and What to Skip)
Look, not everything is a "must-buy." Some of the artist-branded merch can feel a bit like a tourist trap. But there are specific things the SoHo location does better than the Midtown shops:
- Furniture & Lighting: Because of the open layout, they can display larger pieces like Akari lamps and Herman Miller furniture better than the cramped museum shops.
- Tech Innovations: They usually have the latest Teenage Engineering gear or high-end speakers out for you to test.
- The "MoMA Exclusive" Section: Always check the back for products you can only get through the museum. The color-block scarves and specific New Era MoMA hats are classics for a reason.
If you’re on a budget, the Lower Level is where you want to be. It’s packed with books, kitchen gadgets, and those Danish HAY accessories that won't break the bank but still look like you have your life together.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Visit
- Check the mural first: Walk all the way to the back wall to see the Nina Chanel Abney piece before you start shopping. It sets the tone.
- Look up: Seriously. The 19th-century tin ceiling is one of the best-preserved examples in the neighborhood.
- Use the QR codes: Many of the "storytelling" displays have codes that explain the history of the designer. It’s the closest you’ll get to a museum plaque.
- Join the membership: If you plan on spending more than $100, just get the MoMA membership. It gives you 10-20% off at the store and gets you into the actual museum uptown for free. It usually pays for itself in one visit if you're buying a lamp or a big stack of books.
The newly polished MoMA SoHo New York experience is less about buying a souvenir and more about seeing how 140-year-old architecture can play nice with ultra-modern tech and art. It’s one of the few places in SoHo that still feels like "Old New York" even while it's selling you the future.