When most people think of museums, they imagine hushed galleries, carefully selected displays, and endless treasures hidden away in storage. In fact, it’s estimated that less than 10% of museum collections ever see the light of day. The rest sit behind the scenes, accessible only to curators and researchers.
That old model is changing – and nowhere more boldly than at the V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May 2025 in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
A Museum Turned Inside Out
Part of the Victoria and Albert Museum family, the East Storehouse was designed by the acclaimed architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro to be both working archive and public space. Think of it as the V&A turned inside out: instead of glimpsing only a polished selection of highlights, visitors are invited into the heart of the collection itself.
The result is staggering in scale. Inside the vast four-level building you’ll find:
- 250,000 objects across every creative discipline imaginable
- 350,000 books in the National Art Library collection
- 1,000 archives covering everything from fashion houses to theatre productions
Even better, the V&A has introduced a groundbreaking Order an Object service. Anyone can request to view any item in the collection — free of charge, seven days a week. It’s like getting a personalised behind-the-scenes tour, whenever you want.
What You’ll See
The centrepiece of the Storehouse is the Weston Collections Hall. Here, more than 100 curated mini-displays are woven into the ends and sides of the storage racks. It’s a treasure hunt of culture:
- Ancient Buddhist sculptures
- Vivien Leigh’s theatre costumes
- PJ Harvey’s guitar
- Vintage football shirts and suffragette scarves
- Glastonbury Festival memorabilia
- Thomas Heatherwick’s model for the 2012 Olympic Cauldron
And for design lovers, there are show-stopping installations, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s “Kaufmann Office” – the only complete Wright interior outside the US – and a salvaged section of London’s infamous Robin Hood Gardens estate.
Why It Matters
As Tim Reeve, deputy director and COO of the V&A, puts it:
“V&A East Storehouse is a completely new cultural experience – a backstage pass to the V&A.”
It’s more than a museum. It’s a radical rethinking of how national collections can be used, seen, and shared. For the first time, ordinary visitors — not just scholars — can access the hidden majority of one of the world’s greatest collections.
Practical Information
📍 Address: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20
🎟 Admission: Free
🕘 Opening hours: 7 days a week (check vam.ac.uk for times and booking details)
🚇 Nearest station: Stratford (Overground, Underground, DLR, National Rail)
My World of Interiors 