Imagine being able to hold a museum artefact in your hands, no longer separated by glass cases or rope barriers. Imagine getting up close to decades or centuries of history in an object – to see the fibres and threads of a tapestry, the stitches of a shoe, the strings of a rock star's guitar, or the brushstrokes of a painting... well, imagine no more. In possibly the ultimate design and antiques browsing experience, the new V&A East Storehouse opened to the public on Saturday 31 May, granting free access to a staggering 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books and 1,000 archives. The site is spread across an area in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London, that’s larger than 30 basketball courts – almost too extensive to imagine, and even more impressive in person.
With its vast collection now available to visitors, this transition bridges the gap between museum acquisition, conservation, storage and public view. Most museums have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of unseen treasures that might only be seen by staff for decades; this brings the especially large amount of V&A acquisitions carefully into the light, democratising the collections.
How to order an object at the V&A East Storehouse
You don’t have to be an academic, artist or a design professional to request an object here – anyone can ask to see an item (with staff guidance on handling), through the ‘Order an Object’ service. This makes it ideal if you’re searching for interiors inspiration or you just have a passion for a specific genre of textile, painting, fashion or jewellery.
H&A readers will know that there’s something special about seeing an antique or a piece of design history in person; using all your senses, you appreciate the scale and the presence of an object. With festival season in full swing, you could even immerse yourself in the heady delights of the Glastonbury Festival archive – no camping needed.
Displaying fragments of the past, from East London to Philadelphia
There are also 100 items on show in the futuristic-looking Weston Collections Hall, as part of miniature display areas that bookend row upon row of storehouse goods. These displays focus on specific topics, such as specific conservation techniques, art by transgender or non-binary creatives, and East London history.
One particularly distinctive piece is a three-storey section of outer wall and window frames, plus maisonette interiors, from Robin Hood Gardens. This was a local residential estate and a good example of Brutalist architecture, built in 1972; it’s now displayed like a ghost façade. Brutalism may be a divisive architectural style, but we think it will win a few more fans here.
Another jaw-dropper is the Kaufmann Office, a full Frank Lloyd Wright wood-panelled interior complete with furniture and textiles, designed for a Philadelphia businessman. You truly feel like you’re in a time warp, in the best possible way, being amongst his work. This is your only chance of seeing a Frank Lloyd Wright building in the UK; back in 2014, there were plans for a house in Wraxall, Somerset, based on the architect’s unused blueprints for a Santa Barbara property, but planning authorities rejected the proposal.
Further design highlights
Stretching back much further in time, and before the wrath of planners, there’s a beautifully carved and gilded Islamic-inspired ceiling recovered from a demolished Spanish palace, Torrijos, near Toledo. It dates to the late 15th century and is an incredible design feat for the time. The ceiling was procured and sold to the V&A by antiques dealer Lionel Harris, who ran The Spanish Art Gallery at 50 Conduit Street, London.
The V&A East Storehouse site will also host the David Bowie Archive, due to open in September 2025, in its Study Centre. This will include photographs, tickets and t-shirts from the legendary rock musician’s career – yet another reason to add this place to your cultural agenda.
Look out for our in-depth exploration of the V&A East Storehouse in Homes & Antiques magazine later in the year, where we’ll uncover more of this fascinating place.
V&A East Storehouse, a unique new cultural visitor attraction and working store, opening 31 May 2025, as part of East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - vam.ac.uk/east.
Image credits: David Parry, PA Media Assignments; Bet Bettencourt; Kemal Ajoku for V&A.
