Bookstore Modrijan.

Bookstore Modrijan opened its doors in September 2009. It is located at Trubarjeva ulica 26 in the center of Ljubljana. The bookstore is placed in an old building that was built in 1938. At first there was a sewing place and textile store.

Since that, the building has been briefly used as a national magazine, then the state publishing house, then as toy store, then as shop with clothes and finally made over into a bookstore.

The whole building is under strict protection, therefore the renovation was demanding. The project was prepared by Špela Leskovic, Aleš Košak and Maja Pecar from AKSL arhitekti. Investor also hired two graphic designers, which took care for graphic design of bookstore.

New bookstore has a little different concept of selling books. The special quality of the place is the main entrance place, which is almost five meters high and surrounded from three sides with the gallery. This place gives a special charm. Bookstore offers visitors dynamic views on the bookshelves from different perspectives. At more than 300 m2 net area, the books are stacked by content on the book shelves in wall cabinets, and mobile sales in the islands, which are distributed throughout the area. Bookstore is divided into a central place with gallery and continuing into area for children's books. Here the space is reduced, and becomes multi - functional. It can be used for book presentations, cultural events, press conferences, slideshows, and also serves as a place to play and restraint. From this room there is access to the copying and reading of e - newspapers. Every year at the beginning of school, the place becomes the point for selling educational books. Next to this place is a small warehouse which has an exit in the toilet and changing room for employees.

In the gallery, beside the book cabinets is the office for the manager, which is partially glazed, so the manager has a complete overview of developments and visitors in the bookstore.

A special feature that separates the bookstore from the other is a particular emphasis on the creation of atmosphere, which offers visitors more than just buy books. For this purpose, there are small intimate corners between the book cabinets, where the visitor can sit and read a book. The corners are equipped with the floor lamps, comfortable chairs and tables where you can put a cup of coffee, which ensure that you feel like home in the living room. In the bookstore there are selected pieces of furniture by well known designers . In the central part of the exhibition space appears two comfortable sofas (designed by brothers "Bouroullec"), which gives visitor feeling of warmth and familiarity. Special attention was given to lighting the books on shelves. Quality lighting design was really important part of planning, because it can form a different ambience in various parts of the bookstore. Most noticeable are two big chandeliers in the central space, which with its image gives the special touch to the whole place. Warm colour is the main feature of interior lighting. The walls and cabinets are in warm beige colour, counters, internet corner and an exhibition islands are in nice chocolate brown. Chairs and standing lamps complement the image in black colour. In the bookstore appears another colour – blue (chandeliers and sofa by Bourollec), which represent a contrast to the other interior. Special attention is given to the youngest, who can sit and read children's books, or playing game that is painted on the top of the tables. The bookstore Modrijan offers more than just selling the books - the visitors can join the organized literary events, interviews with national and foreign authors, different debates and entertainment evenings.

by AKSL arhitekti d.o.o.