ornamentaation

Ornamentaation is the act or process of adding decorative elements to a work, object, or space. In practice it describes the broader field of ornamentation and decorative design. The term is not widely recognized as a distinct scholarly category and is often encountered as a misspelling or neologism of ornamentation.

Etymology and usage: The form resembles ornamentation, the standard term for decorative features in art, architecture, and design. When used, ornamentaation is typically intended to emphasize the decision or method of adding ornament, rather than the ornament itself. Some writers treat it as synonymous with embellishment or decoration.

Contexts: In architecture and construction, ornamentaation appears in cornices, friezes, capitals, moldings, and decorative ironwork. In visual arts, it covers patterns, motifs, and surface treatments. In graphic design and typography, it refers to borders, flourishes, and initial capitals. In fashion and product design, decorative motifs applied to surfaces also fall under this concept.

Techniques and motifs: Common methods include carving, casting, gilding, inlay, embossing, painting, and screen printing. Motifs range from floral and geometric patterns to cultural symbols and abstract forms.

Historical note: Ornamentation has varied greatly across periods and cultures, from the highly ornate Baroque and Rococo to the restrained modernist and minimalist movements. Where ornamentaation is discussed, the focus is often on design decisions about how much decoration a work should carry and how ornament interacts with form, function, and light.

See also: Ornamentation, Decoration, Embellishment, Decorative arts.