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3mo ago

V&A East Storehouse Debuts in London with Hands-On Open-Storage Experience

Visitors book up to five objects online in a climate-controlled space showcasing over 250,000 items.

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The Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, including over 100 mini curated displays on metal storage racking.
The space is anchored by six large-scale objects, including the 15th century carved and gilded wooden ceiling, the Altamira Ceiling, from the now lost Torrijos Palace in Spain.
View of the Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse. Visitors in the central Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, a working store and new visitor attraction from the V&A located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, opening this Saturday, May 31. Issue date: Wednesday May 28, 2025. PA Photo. V&A East Storehouse is home to over half a million creative works, including a section of the now-demolished housing estate, Robin Hood Gardens, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office – the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US.

Overview

  • The storehouse spans four levels in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and forms part of the £600 million East Bank cultural district.
  • Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the hybrid venue integrates public conservation studios with open shelving for free exploration.
  • The ‘Order an Object’ service has logged 200 bookings and delivered 800 items in its first week, led by a 1957 Cristóbal Balenciaga gown.
  • Six monumental works—including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kaufmann Office and a 10-metre-high Picasso ballet backdrop—anchor the storage hall.
  • Collections include 250,000 objects, 350,000 books and 1,000 special archives available for study and research.