Dekoration

Dekoration is a broad term used to describe adornment and embellishment applied to spaces, objects, events, or foods. In German usage, it covers ornamental elements as well as the arrangement of scenery for theatre and film (set decoration). The concept spans interior and exterior design, landscape art, and visual arts, with decorative choices typically non-structural and aimed at mood, identity, or celebration.

In interior design and architecture, decoration involves patterns, colors, materials, and motifs chosen to create atmosphere and aesthetic character, while structural elements and functions are addressed by design and engineering. In event planning, decorations are temporary installations—flowers, textiles, lighting, and props—intended to transform a venue for a specific occasion. In performing arts, set decoration (often managed by a decoration department or set dresser) selects and positions furniture, props, backdrops, and textures to realize a fictional world. In gastronomy, decoration can refer to garnish and plate presentation that enhances appeal without altering taste.

Historically, decoration reflects cultural tastes and technologies: classical restraint, baroque exuberance, neoclassical order, and later modernist reductions followed by postmodern eclecticism. Today, decoration intersects with digital design, lightweight and sustainable materials, and temporary or modular installations for exhibitions and events. The term also overlaps with the broader field of decorative arts, which studies crafts such as ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and glass.

Etymology: from Latin decoratio, via French décoration, with cognates in many Western languages. The German term Dekoration commonly denotes ornamental elements and the discipline of set design, distinguishing itself from the underlying architecture or function.