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The Victoria and Albert Museum gave the first glimpse yesterday of the spectacular new galleries it hopes will dispel its fusty maiden aunt image forever - and revealed that its secret weapon is an idea borrowed from nightclubs.

Their creators claim the £31m British Galleries, which will open in November, will bring "glamour and a real jaw-dropping awe" back to the world's greatest collection of decorative arts and bury any notion that the "V&A is on its uppers".

The most surprising change of all though will be a set of "chill-out" rooms at the end of each block of galleries, where weary visitors can lounge "and let it all sink in", "chill" over a magazine or find out more about what they have just seen on computers.

Gwyn Miles, the director of projects, said they realised some visitors found the museum's vast scale and the depth of its collections "all too much... We are aware of how relentless going from one gallery of statues