Original article by Lynn Kawaratani of the Library Journal-November 2024
Color, color everywhere! To create welcoming, dynamic spaces, libraries have integrated vivid colors into their designs to connect, invite, comfort, and even surprise. This year, public libraries drew inspiration from their communities. The Twin Beaches Branch, Calvert Library, North Beach, MD, highlights the blue and green hues of crashing waves along the sandy shoreline visible just outside the windows. The colors of the Aptos Branch Library, Santa Cruz Public Library, CA, evince forests with varied shades of verdant greens found in the adjacent Forest of Nisene Marks State Park.
Libraries without dedicated rooms for specific audiences developed color changes in the flooring, furniture, walls, and graphics to help establish distinct spaces within an open floor plan, such as the Westside Community Center Library, New Braunfels Public Library, TX, which experiments with colorful wall graphics and a mix of blue, green, and bright orange seating, along with shifts in carpet and ceiling colors.
Colors can also really pop! The exterior of the Almonte Library, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, is clad with brightly painted murals and a soffit constructed of multicolored bands that create a dynamic focal point in the community. Exploring a radically different approach, the LaGrange Memorial Library, GA, presents two contrasting palettes: From the exterior, the building is subdued, with natural materials and neutral tones. Upon entering, the library is an explosion of whimsical color that energizes the space and encourages discovery.