The Grammar of Ornament

A few weeks ago, I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) with my sister as the weather wasn't looking too great, and I'd been meaning to go here for a while now. It's described in the guide books as 'England's attic'. And I have to say they have it pretty much spot on. It is MASSIVE. There is so much stuff here that it's not funny. And it's hugely inspirational. There's everything from iron work (keys, locks, fences) to ceramic plates, musical instruments and even a room full of hanging persian carpets. Pretty amazing stuff.

There were two things that I absolutely loved there.

The first was a room that had all different periods of furniture, and right down the end they had Art Nouveau posters, handles and chairs. I love art nouveau, and I was left starting at a particular chair that I wish I could own.

The second thing was a room that I walked into that had a whole stack of prints and books in cabinets. These belong to a guy named Owen Jones. They are the most amazing designs I have ever seen. He was an architect working in the 1800s, and he wrote an amazing book called 'The Grammar of Ornament'. But that's not the best part. The prints on the walls were all these designs that he had copied from the Alhambra in Spain. Amazingly intricate geometric designs in all shades of the rainbow. Some were unfinished, and all were hand drawn. You could even see the pencil marks.

I was absolutely in awe and amazed by the skill of this guy. I love symmetrical and geometrical designs and this guy was a goldmine. I only wish I could get a copy of his book from 1856 (of which a copy sits in the V&A and which I was studying with amazement). Hopefully, I'll be able to find a reprint or something of it.

If you want to draw inspiration from it, have a look here. There's also some amazing plates here on the V&A website.