Wilson Mason / Artistry House / Manchester Museum, Manchester
With more than 130 years of heritage, the Manchester Museum needed a tasteful update to bring it into the modern world.
Words By Emily Martin
PROJECT INFO
Client Manchester Museum
Interior design Artistry House www.theartistry.house
Architect Wilson Mason www.wilsonmason.co.uk
Size 1,614 sq m
Cost £15m
Completion February 2023
ARTISTRY HOUSE INTERIORS has delivered its interior design scheme for Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester, as part of a £15m transformation project which sees a massive overhaul of the pre-existing building and gallery spaces, including a spectacular glazed terracotta extension by Purcell to become the new home of the museum’s South Asian culture exhibits. The studio won the brief to deliver interior design across a selection of non-gallery spaces within the museum, including the entrance area and reception, main hall and pop-up café, shop, main café, high impact object displays and prayer room. Its solution was to provide unobstructed interior spaces that are rich in colour, texture and history.
Over 130 years old, Manchester Museum is one of the largest university museums in the UK. Its original neo-Gothic building was designed by renowned architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830–1905) and it is now home to around 4.5 million objects from natural sciences and human cultures.
The design scheme strikes a balance between the traditional architecture of the building and the use of contemporary furniture. Image Credit: Photogenics
‘Our interior scheme began with research into the museum’s past whilst focusing on the aspiration of creating a museum where “everybody is welcome”, representing and encouraging all cultures and generations to spend quality time within the museum’, says Artistry House interior designer Rose Peploe.
Over 130-years old, the museum is the largest university museum in the UK, and its overhaul has completely modernised the building, granting a new lease of life for the 4.5 million objects housed in the building. Image Credit: Chris Bull.
The studio drew inspiration from historic colour texture; the spaces feature a selection of rich colours and authentic materials, inspired from spaces around the world, as part of the design scheme. By exploring themes from the museum’s natural sciences and human cultures exhibits, the material palleted showcases authentic materials such as natural stones, brass, and solid oak, which are used throughout the project. Peploe comments: ‘The Artistry House Interiors partnered with Little Greene Paints to curate the colour palette for the museum, featuring bold, yet warm tones such as Goblin, Nether Red and Cordoba.’
Over 130-years old, the museum is the largest university museum in the UK, and its overhaul has completely modernised the building, granting a new lease of life for the 4.5 million objects housed in the building. Image Credit: Photogenicst
The design scheme, while an ode to the past, represents the museum’s current day values by striking a balance with the traditional architecture of the building and the use of contemporary furniture. The team opted for using environmentally conscious designers including HAY, Audo, Howe and Arper for practical solutions, which also represent the importance of sustainable solutions. Fundamental to the project was ensuring a visual through-line across these key interior spaces to showcasing high-impact objects, mindful of the unique functionality of each space, visitor experience and visitor flow and embodying a commitment to sustainable and inclusive design.
Over 130-years old, the museum is the largest university museum in the UK, and its overhaul has completely modernised the building, granting a new lease of life for the 4.5 million objects housed in the building
‘We were honoured and hugely excited to deliver against such a bold, rich, transformational brief for so historic an institution’, says Peploe. ‘Its varied spaces and facilities have a multitude of purposes, atmospheres and intents, all of which are vital to the museum as a whole.’
KEY SUPPLIERS
Furniture
Hays www.hay.dk
Audo www.audocph.com
Howe www.howe.com
Arper www.arper.com
Finishes
Little Greene www.littlegreene.com
