Ornament Now

Ornament Now is a celebration of pattern and decoration, and the important contribution it has made to our built heritage. Turning a critical eye on modern design, it highlights how in the twentieth century an architectural elite rejected ornament, erasing deep-rooted cultural, aesthetic and craft traditions in the process. Thankfully, beauty and ornament have endured and persist, to tell a more inclusive story of architecture. Throughout history, ornament has served important and various functions: providing a diverse visual language to communicate social, religious and cultural meaning. Often, it has played a structural role, embedded in a building’s elements, such as in the lattice-like jaalis (window screens) of the Middle East and the cornices of Victorian England. Ornament Now both showcases and celebrates these functions, while exploring how and why they came to be eroded. The book builds on this abundant decorative heritage to spotlight contemporary architects, designers and artists who are resisting the orthodoxy of minimalism and actively using ornament, offering inspiration and guidance for others who want to incorporate ornament into their own work. At once an accessible primer for a curious audience, and a reference book for design students, it draws attention to these often overlooked or derided designs, exploring their history and sharing lessons. From the historic Hausa facades of Nigeria and the Alhambra in Spain, to Freddy Mamani’s ‘Neo-Andean' buildings of modern Bolivia and Tao Architecture’s Taumata o Kupe meeting house in New Zealand. The book joins an important conversation around which histories should be celebrated, and the spaces that should be made both beautiful and inclusive.