January 30, 2015

2014 BOY Winner: Mixed Retail

Bumping the old-fashioned bookseller back into the black could admittedly require more than a few comfy wingbacks. Swapping in George Nelson’s Coconut lounge chairs from 1955, though, principal Marcio Kogan made a big statement about bringing bookstores forward into a less traditional era. And we mean big: 27,000 square feet on three levels.

Interior 02 Culture Bookshop Brazil Studio Mk27 0115

More than a dozen of the Nelson chairs occupy a monumental social space above a pair of escalators—where the red-orange upholstery complements the warm tones of the cherry floor. Heavy steel beams clad in white plastic laminate open up the wide span, column-free to enhance the sense of community. At one end, the floor steps up toward the mezzanine, serving en route as bleacher seating ideal as a perch either for individual shoppers or for large groups attending a reading.

The mezzanine’s balustrades are clear glass. That allows for an unobstructed view of the walls lined with shelving, also clad in white plastic laminate and lit by integral LEDs. Shoppers feel like they have entered a glowing cube of books.

Interior Culture Bookshop Brazil Studio Mk27 0115

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