Stanton Williams

The V&A’s collections of ceramics are one of its greatest glories, unrivalled for their richness and breadth. Stanton Williams were commissioned in 2005 to provide a setting worthy of these items. Opened in September 2009, our design reorders and rationalises the characterful spaces which have housed the collections for a century in order to create a significant international centre for the enjoyment, understanding and study of ceramics.

Located on V&A’s top floor and dating from 1909, the ceramics galleries comprise a sequence of seven varied spaces. Some are domed; others enjoy abundant daylight by virtue of their glazed roofs. In this respect, they are a perfect fit for the display of ceramics, which do not require onerous environmental or conservation conditions. A ‘light touch’ has been adopted in restoring them. Accretions have been swept away, but otherwise our design enhances the distinctiveness of these spaces, respecting and exploiting contrasts in spatial form and lighting to create interest.

Glass showcases have been specially developed with manufacturers Glasbau Hahn and rigorously tested by the V&A’s curators. Their proportions echo those of the galleries, coherently linking the exhibits with the spaces in which they are housed. Simple and elegant, the displays themselves will examine the collections in new ways, with their centrepiece being a practical area where throwing wheels and a working kiln will bring the subject to life.