Museum of Domestic Design

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Interwar Suburban Style designs from the Silver
Studio Collection

• Museum of Domestic Design Architecture (MoDA),
• Middlesex University

Project funded by the AHRC
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Interwar Suburban Style designs from the
Silver Studio Collection

• Approximately 3,000 Silver Studio designs dating
  from the 1920s
• and 30s were identified as a conservation and
  cataloguing priority.
• 42k was received from the AHRC Project Fund in
  June 2007.
• A Project Manager and team of volunteers were
  appointed to work
• on the designs over a 13 week period.
• The designs were documented, cleaned, repaired
  and mounted or
• placed in melinex sleeves, then re-housed in acid
  free archival boxes,
• catalogued, and placed in environmentally
  controlled storage at MoDA.
• The project was completed in September 2007.

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Some of the conservation problems that werefound
to be common within the collection are
illustrated in the following photographs
Over filled acidic storage boxes
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Surface dirt
Discoloration
Loss of pigment
Adhesive tapes staining
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Tears
Rust stain caused by metal pin
Adhesive Stain
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The following preventive conservation techniques
were employed to prevent further damage to the
designs through handling and poor housing Soft
brushes, latex sponges and erasers were used to
remove surface dirt
Before
After
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Tear repair
Housing an object in a melinex sleeve
Hinging designs to be mounted
Window mounting of designs with friable media
design layers
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Re-housed designs
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• Once the conservation and re-housing process was
  
• completed, the cataloguing team were able to
  handle
• the designs with a minimal risk of damage.
• The cataloguers compiled information from the
• conservators documentation sheets, original
• accession forms, Silver Studio records, and
  their own
• observations of the designs in order to update
  the
• Museums database.
• The following images are taken from the updated
• records entered into MoDAs museum database

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• The results of this project are that
• Approximately 3,000 original Silver Studio
  designs
• can now be accessed by students and researchers
• electronically via the museum website database,
  and physically
• by visitors to MoDA.
• The objects have been stabilised and protected
  from further
• damage through handling or adverse environmental
  factors.
• Items which require more extensive, interventive
  conservation
• treatment have been identified.
• MoDA has provided a valuable learning
  opportunity for five
• interns interested in pursuing careers in the
  museum sector.

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• For more information about this project or to
  discuss MoDAs
• conservation service please email Emma Shaw,
• Preventive Conservation Officer,
  e.shaw_at_mdx.ac.uk