BRAC BOOKSTORE

A few steps from Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery, hidden among the many courtyards of the historic center of Florence, the Brac Bookstore reveals itself as a place of social gathering, secret and enchanting, where you can read, eat, drink, or simply spend time in a welcoming and hospitable environment.

The restyling project of the premises starts from the desire to keep the atmosphere that is breathed there and that distinguishes it unchanged, with the aim of renewing its image, making the spaces more functional, and giving greater visibility to the careful selection of books.

The heart of the intervention is the courtyard that visually connects the two main rooms: a surprising space, characterized by verticality, color, and flexibility. Conceived with the aim of limiting the transmission of noise to the surrounding residences. More than 5,000 strips of fabric, of 9 different colors, 5 centimeters wide and variably between 75 and 175 centimeters long, descend from above and involve the visitor in an emotional space. The strips are suspended from a light, modular structure, made of steel cables, fixed to the perimeter walls of the courtyard at a height that does not exceed the internal ceilings of the library. This allows a variability of configuration over time and with the seasons, thus lending itself to transformations and the different needs of the café-bookshop.