The Victoria and Albert museum has done it again!

On 31 May, the new V&A East Storehouse opened to the public, unveiling a new venue with a collection of over 250,000 objects, set in the ultimate Ikea display but, needless to say, with a degree of sophistication that only the Victoria & Albert can muster.

V & A East Storefront. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Located on the edge of the Olympic Park and flanked by a hip section of the River Lea, visitors should be mindful that there’s no on-site parking, but readily accessible public transport is nearby. The site is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:00 to 22:00. There is no shop at the moment, but a cafeteria, lockers, and a seating social space.

The collection is displayed in the Weston Collection Hall, which spans four floors and is arranged in a quadrangle around a central, large well. It is recommended to explore top down, starting on the third floor. The basement, a dedicated curatorial working space, can be viewed through a glass floor in the middle of the well and to the sides of the outer walkways. The internal structure of the building comprises metal grating floors, steel shelves and glass railings.

Weston Collection Hall at the V & A East Storefront. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

The bulk of the collection consists of furniture, with a great number of Renaissance chests (cassoni). The three most impressive items are the fifteenth-century Torrijos ceiling from Islamic Spain, the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Art Deco Kauffman office from the 1920s and the Agra Colonnade, which can be seen through the central glass floor. This beautiful marble portico, was part of Shah Jahan’s Red Fort at Agra and one of the largest Mughal items in the V&A’s collection.

Each floor has a corresponding catalogue listing objects and themes of displays. Whereas a handful of these, like the three items mentioned above, have information boards naming and describing provenance and context, the majority of objects are only tagged recording their serial number and nothing else. At first, this may be frustrating, but it makes for a more interactive experience in which one is just inches away from each object and can really get up close and look at the finest of details. Besides, the V&A’s extensive online catalogue will come in handy for any further investigations.

Throughout the day, Object Encounters free tours are run showing the collection’s highlights. Later this year in September, the David Bowie Centre, will be opening to the public, showcasing the V&A’s vast collection of Bowie memorabilia, costumes, artwork and more.

Carved Wood Furniture at V & A East Storefront. Photo Credit: © Chris Van Hayden.

Torrijos Ceiling at the V & A East Storefront. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Kaufmann Office by Frank Lloyd Wright at V&A East Storehouse. Photo Credit: © Chris Van Hayden.