V&A Dundee today reveals its beautiful, light-filled interiors ahead of its official opening

Ahead of V&A Dundee's official opening this Saturday, it has today revealed its beautiful, light-filled interiors designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

Written By: Katy Cowan

12 September 2018

As Scotland’s first design museum, V&A Dundee tells a global story, investigating the international importance of design alongside presenting Scotland’s outstanding design achievements.

V&A Dundee’s construction and fit-out took three and a half years to complete and it stands at the centre of the £1 billion transformation of Dundee's waterfront, once part of the city’s docklands.

With its complex geometry, inspired by the dramatic cliffs along the north-east coast of Scotland, it stretches out into the River Tay – a new landmark connecting the city with its historic waterfront, and a new major cultural development for Scotland and the UK.

V&A Dundee's light-filled entrance hall with striped wooden wall, slatted ceiling with recessed lighting, and visitors at reception desk and café seating area

Interior of V&A Dundee designed by Kengo Kuma, showing multi-level galleries with wooden flooring, display cases and dramatic natural light from above

At its heart, the Scottish Design Galleries feature 300 exhibits drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of Scottish design, as well as from museums and private collections across Scotland and the world.

At the centre of these galleries stands the magnificent Charles Rennie Mackintosh Oak Room meticulously restored, conserved and reconstructed through a partnership between V&A Dundee, Glasgow Museums and Dundee City Council. Visitors to the museum will be able to experience once again Mackintosh’s extraordinary talent in designing this room, lost to view for nearly 50 years.

A long corridor in V&A Dundee with dark wooden panelling, illuminated wall displays on either side, geometric ceiling details and hanging lights, with visitors walking towards a bright opening at the far end

Tiered wooden seating with integrated lighting inside V&A Dundee, with a visitor sitting alone in the architectural space designed by Kengo Kuma

Light-filled gallery space at V&A Dundee displaying Scottish design exhibits in wall-mounted display cases, with wooden flooring and contemporary pendant lighting overhead

The ambitious international exhibition programme opens with Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, organised by the V&A and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the first exhibition to explore the design and cultural impact of the ocean liner on an international scale.

Major exhibitions are complemented by new commissions and installations including This, looped by Glasgow-based artist and former Turner prize nominee Ciara Phillips.

A white electric vehicle with an open brown door displayed in a gallery space with black linear ceiling details and white walls

V&A Dundee's distinctive angular architecture with horizontal ribbed cladding extends into the River Tay, designed by Kengo Kuma

V&A Dundee's dramatic timber-clad exterior with horizontal slats overlooking the River Tay, with landscaping and water visible in the background

"The opening of V&A Dundee is a historic occasion for Dundee, for the V&A, and for the very many people who played a vital part and supported its realisation. This is a very proud moment for all involved," says Philip Long, Director.

"Its aspiration is to enrich lives, helping people to enjoy, be inspired by and find new opportunities through understanding the designed world. After years of planning, we are thrilled at being able to celebrate the realisation of the first V&A museum in the world outside London.

"The museum’s light-filled wooden interior and impressive spaces inside have been designed to provide a warm welcome to visitors, described by architect Kengo Kuma as a ‘living room for the city’. We are all very excited indeed that we can now welcome everybody into this remarkable new museum."

Upward view of V&A Dundee's layered concrete exterior, designed by Kengo Kuma with angular forms inspired by Scottish coastal cliffs, against a clear blue sky

Tall concrete tower with diagonal ribbed facade and small rectangular windows rising against clear blue sky, shot from below

Kengo Kuma, architect of V&A Dundee, told Material Source: "The big idea for V&A Dundee was bringing together nature and architecture, to create a new living room for the city. I’m truly in love with the Scottish landscape and nature. I was inspired by the cliffs of north-eastern Scotland – it’s as if the earth and water had a long conversation and finally created this stunning shape.

"It is also fitting that the restored Oak Room by Charles Rennie Mackintosh is at the heart of this building as I have greatly admired his designs since I was a student. In the Oak Room, people will feel his sensibility and respect for nature, and hopefully, connect it with our design for V&A Dundee.

"I hope the museum can change the city and become its centre of gravity. I am delighted and proud that this is my first building in the UK and that people will visit it from around the world."

V&A Dundee's striking tiered facade, inspired by Scottish coastal cliffs, extends into the River Tay with a clear blue sky above

V&A Dundee's distinctive striped facade with angular cliff-inspired architecture beside the River Tay, with visitors on the plaza and a tall ship moored alongside

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, adds: "This cultural milestone for the city of Dundee is also a landmark moment in V&A history – we’re extremely proud to share in this exceptional partnership, the first of its kind in the UK, and to have helped establish a new international centre for design that celebrates Scotland’s cultural heritage."

The public opening of the museum will be celebrated by the 3D Festival, a free two-day event on 14 and 15 September, which includes performances by Primal Scream in collaboration with Scottish artist Jim Lambie, Lewis Capaldi, Be Charlotte and Gary Clark of Danny Wilson as well as musical performances there will also be spectacular new dance, design and lighting collaborations, putting the audience and the museum at the heart of the show.

To find out more, visit www.vam.ac.uk/dundee.