Kelly Gao

I love hands-on creative work. In my spare time, I enjoy designing handmade cards, sketching, drawing, and acrylic painting. My interest in designing homes led me to pursue a Bachelor of Interior design degree.

Contact

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Project Overview

This project aligns with the thesis research and development on brick and mortar bookstores. From research findings, a bookstore can transform to meet the consumer's needs. With the current generation and the millennials who are more reliant on technology, a brick and mortar bookstore is a place to go. It revealed that it was a place for the community to connect and socialize. The bookstore becomes a third place, a setting that is not like a home or a workplace. The location is at 415 Eastern Avenue.

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Concept sketches of the process design.

Concept/Design Process

The Community Bookstore encourages social connections, meaning the use of soft-toned colours and a warm interior are suited for the users to feel welcomed. With curvature form inspired to frame bookshelves, it is repeated throughout the retail spaces and ceiling. Along with integrating the store with their own café, shop, event space, and a leased space specifically for Kumon, almost half of the 2nd floor is dedicated to focusing on children’s learning. Offering a pay a small amount to rent a highly acoustical study space for kids to dedicate their time learning and offering strategic and thinking games solely to help develop kid’s learning. These games are on display as samples or to try before purchasing.

Floor Plans

The Community Bookstore is located on 415 Eastern Avenue. It is a historical building with three floors. The basement floor mainly sell books while offering seating throughout the building. The first floor is where the event space is located. As customers enter the space, there is an adjacent touchscreen to help with the booking to attend events or to view a map of the bookstore. The first floor also has shopping areas with a café that is open to the second floor. The second floor has children’s books and educational learning spaces.

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Basement floor.

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First floor.

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Second floor.

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View of the surrounding retail space from the cafe area perspective.

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Basement floor, designed with curvature ceiling with custom displays.

3D rendering of second floor retail space.

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Second floor retail space custom book displays and wall shelving.

3D Views

The interior flooring is mainly dominated by vinyl tile with underlayment to reduce sound in the retail spaces. Mainly painted walls and acoustic panels where it is needed to reduce sound for the adjacent event space area. Curvature design is evident on the walls to frame seating areas and frame the bookshelves. Curve forms are also in the ceiling design. The bookshelf framing has signage on the wall with led lights framing the curvature form and led cove lighting surrounding the café area. The suspended lighting in the café is fixed from the second floor to light up the area on the first floor.