Florence Bookstore

Layered Arches

Location — Florence, Italy

Area — ~8000 SF

Date — Summer 2025

Florence’s monumental architecture became the starting point for a bookstore that feels connected to its historic setting while offering a contemporary experience. I studied the scale, repetition, and layered history of Piazza della Signoria, then explored the arch through sketches and physical models. These studies led to four monumental arched walls that organize circulation, frame views, and divide the interior into clear zones without losing openness.

The concept Layered Arches transforms a familiar Florentine form into both architecture and furniture. Thickened walls integrate book storage, seating, and display, allowing visitors to move through a sequence of framed moments and gradual discoveries. Public gathering spaces, including the cafe, sit on the lower level, while rare books, records, a lounge, and multimedia spaces become quieter and more intimate above. Warm wood, leather, stone, glass, and soft color create a romantic, luminous interior where literature, architecture, and public life come together.

Revit

Enscape

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

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