Type
museum shop

Source
project commission

Client
National Gallery

Address/Site
Prešernova cesta 24, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Program
reception, cafeteria, bookshop, library with reading corner, wardrobe for visitors

Materials
high gloss dark violet laminated boards, upholstered violet chairs, dark violet turned wooden legs, stainless steel cable mesh, mirror finish counter tops

Architect
SADAR+VUGA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Tina Hočevar)

Photos
Fulvio Grisoni

The National Gallery was transformed 15 years ago by the new ‘Central Part’ glass foyer designed by SADAR+VUGA. With the recent renovation of the National Gallery, this previous intervention became the new main entrance hall. This created the need for a new layout with the new ticket office and museum shop.

The new arrangement of the central glass hall of the National Gallery is designed so that the visitor has a clear orientation in the space. The new reception has all the information for the visitor where they are able to buy tickets for the gallery. The reception also has merchandising which features selected literature and a variety of Slovenian products and gifts. With freestanding, staggered cabinets, the museum shop is composed as an open space. Individual cabinets allow the showcasing of the products by section; books, thematic articles, postcards, posters and other products. Comfortable upholstered armchairs in front of the cabinets give the visitor a chance to explore the content of the new museum shop. With the coarse woven grey carpet underneath, the armchairs define the reading corner. The steel cable mesh between the cabinets encloses the space inside the shop while allowing the visitor to have unobstructed views on the entrance space.

The design of the reception desk, museum shop, cafeteria and the wardrobe will allow for the construction of an additional entrance from Puhar Street, while retaining an effective organization of space.

A dark glossy violet colour was chosen that emphasises the new reception and shop. The colour is similar to, and in harmony with the existing shades of grey that are visible in the glass hall of the National Gallery. The cabinets in the bookshop are made out of high gloss dark violet laminated boards. They are raised on wooden turned legs made in the form of two cones creating an elegant appearance of the new elements. All other elements; the cable mesh, doors and frames are light grey. The dressing room and café counter top have a reflective mirror coating. Compared with the reception, the wardrobe and café counter top do not stand out. Because of the reflective mirror coating they blend in with the surroundings. Materials and colours chosen are a balanced mixture of bold and rich combination of textures; matt and glossy, smooth and structured.

Due to the new layout additional lights were installed to further illuminate the display, reception desk, café counter top and café tables.