Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam

In my perfect world, I would live about a block away from a library just like this one. Since I don’t think that is going to happen, I can just dream about being able to dash away from the office and spend time in one. It’s in Amsterdam, of course, since I am still on my "design from Holland" kick.

This library is about a year old and the architect is Jo Coenen. A walk through this building left me absolutely elated (except that I could not appreciate the wood flooring that was selected–too reddish and dark).  Claudy Jongstra’s woolen clad yellow wall greets you in the entrance.

From there, you are constantly delighted by various design elements, furniture, art, and kiosks that create an incredibly wonderful mood in this six-story space. Apple computers abound at all kinds of workstations and there are a number of space-age-looking capsules where one can sit uninterrupted to study.

The ground floor is huge and is dedicated to children. It has round bookcases upon which kids can climb to the top to find scattered lounging pillows for them to read in an elevated fort. There is also a cafe on the top floor of the library, where views of the city are amazing.

All photos by Ghislaine Viñas.