Size:

376 м²

Location:

Saint Petersburg

Status:

Completed

Team:

Evgeny Reshetov, Tatiana Sinelnikova, Anastasia Voropaeva, Ekaterina Antonova, Irina Ten, Yelizaveta Chernikova

The building No.22 located on Nevsky Prospect in Saint Petersburg is associated with Alexander Smirdin’s bookstore — a center of reading culture and a legendary meeting point of the most prominent intellectuals of the XIX century. From now on this address belongs to Respublica* bookstore that recreates the historical function of the place and takes the idea of the store to the next level. 

The store occupies a vast area of the whole second floor capable of accommodating all necessary features typical for contemporary bookstore where lectures, presentations and alternative kinds of goods are as common as books themselves. Hence the new Respublica* store is divided into retail sections with various books and accessories, zones suitable for lectures, work or children activities and a separate space for cafe. 

Each setting of the store demonstrates its own character: spacious, enfilade-like rooms filled with light and air overlooking the main street of the city are placed side by side with tiny and more intimate niches with cozy sofas, lots of greenery and softened colors of design palette. 

The interior takes into account history of the location and preserves memory of the former library which was also opened there by Alexander Smirdin. Except for books the image of the library is saved through long wooden tables and lamps typical for reading rooms. The intersection of history and modernity is reflected in the eclectic atmosphere: new bookshelves, windows and retail equipment created exclusively for the project are mixed with vintage furniture, original wooden floor and reconstructed stucco molding.