Decoration in Design
For centuries, decoration was inherent in architectural design. Cathedrals adorned with intricate carvings, palaces layered in ornament and vernacular houses patterned with local craft traditions; all spoke to the human desire to embed meaning, identity and culture into built form. Decoration wasn’t merely surface embellishment; it was storytelling in stone, wood, and plaster.
Historically, architects followed established aesthetic codes and cultural patterns. Gothic tracery, Islamic geometric motifs, Baroque stucco and Neoclassical friezes were more than stylistic gestures; they represented order, spirituality and cultural belonging.
But these rules also became moulds. As architectural education and practice codified decoration into systems, creativity was often confined to repeating established motifs. Architects were expected to conform to the "language" of a style rather than invent a new vocabulary.
The arrival of Modernism in the early 20th century was a dramatic shift. Buildings were celebrated for their clarity: glass, steel and concrete revealed their purpose without embellishment. Decoration was stripped away and architectural purity was elevated as a virtue. The phrase “less is more” captured a movement that sought to reimagine architecture as rational, efficient, and universally understood.
Today, architectural design has moved beyond modernism toward more ecological and culturally attuned approaches. Yet the Passivhaus standard, with its rigour rooted in building physics, is often perceived as echoing modernism: efficient and disciplined but lacking warmth and cultural resonance. We believe this perception doesn’t have to hold true. Passivhaus design can harmonise performance with beauty, weaving ornamentation, colour and texture back into buildings in ways that foster belonging and meaning.
Instead of reverting to rigid historical patterns, we see an opportunity to revive ornament as narrative. Whether expressed in profiled timber cladding, earth-plastered window reveals or tiled recesses, decoration can reflect community, memory, and identity. Ornament becomes less about conformity and more about spaces with soul.
This blog series will explore how handcrafted details and the thoughtful integration of cultural motifs can enrich our buildings without compromising low-energy design. Together, the Arbor team will examine:
Colour that reflects local landscapes or cultural memory.
Patterns generated by digital tools but rooted in tradition.
Textures that invite touch and give comfort.
Murals and craft that give buildings a cultural heartbeat.
Decoration in design is not a return to the past, it is a way forward, where sustainability and symbolism coexist and where buildings not only perform well but also speak deeply to the people who inhabit them.