Electa bookshop, Rome
Electa bookshop, Rome

An extraordinary monumental context contains the project of redesign and refurbishment, conducted by the studio Migliore+Servetto, of a group of prestigious Electa bookshops. The four points inside the archaeology park of the Colosseum in Rome (Colosseo Primo Ordine, Colosseo Secondo Ordine, Palatino San Gregorio and Clivo Palatino), and one of the spaces of the Venice Biennale. The project focuses on the objective of bringing out the wealth of content and offerings, creating a place of discovery and memory to stimulate cultural growth, apart from the function as a sales space.

The various locations share an extremely light furnishing system in the design by Migliore+Servetto, featuring transparent parts using micro-perforated sheet metal in pale hues. The installation takes on force as a flexible, adaptable and interchangeable system in the context of the different needs and proportions of the rooms, triggering different levels of diversified interpretation.

For the Clivo Palatino point of sale, in which a large ribbon window faces directly onto the archaeological park, Migliore+Servetto have created a series of custom bases placed below the glazing, topped by mobile towers that make it possible to produce window displays in a versatile and light way.

Color has been used to make the locations unique. Precise chromatic effects differentiate each sales point inside the archeological park in Rome: sulfur yellow for the Colosseo Primo Ordine, scarlet for the Colosseo Secondo Ordine, celadon green for San Gregorio al Palatino, and cadmium yellow for Clivo Palatino.

The red tone of the Biennale underscores the presence of the bookshop at the Arsenale in Venice, staying in line with the existing image. All the facilities also involve the intervention of Studio Sonnoli, with full-height graphic fields as backdrops for the furnishings, in Rome, to connect and highlight the various parts of the store. In Venice, the custom solutions adapt perfectly to the existing arrangement.