The new Mondadori Duomo Bookstore
The Mondadori bookstore in Piazza Duomo is a surprising venue that makes people curious and encourages them to explore its over 1,300 m2 area.
There are two entrances, three floors (plus a mezzanine), theme areas and immersive, experiential and sensory spaces that are constantly interacting with the square that is the symbol of Milan, the place where past and future, history and people, creativity and innovation meet and mingle.
The concept of the new bookstore, imagined by Mondadori Retail, was designed and majestically brought to life by the design firm Il Prisma, which imagined the venue and brought back to life some particularly stunning elements of the building the bookstore is located in.
These spaces and symbols embody and speak of the values of the Mondadori Group, which can respond to the most diverse targets, renew itself, involve and meet the demand of the market with its cultural offer.
Palazzo Niemeyer, the historical headquarters of the Mondadori Group in Segrate, has exceptionally lit up its arches with red light, to stress the value and the communicative importance of this flagship store.
Additionally, to stress the tight value-related and historical bond between the Mondadori Group and the city (and Piazza Duomo in particular), an exclusive banner was created for the flagship store that combines and highlights the two iconic elements, Mondadori and the Duomo of Milan.
Two entrances, 12 shop windows
The entrance from Piazza Duomo creates a considerable sense of continuity between indoors and outdoors, between the city and the bookstore. But it is from the side entrance in via Mazzini that the elegant and rhythmical repetition of illuminated arches guides visitors inside and welcomes them with splendid porticoes on the ground floor and mezzanine floor, with openings framed by lesenes and tympana on the bookstore’s noble floor. This double entrance is an invitation to explore, to enjoy an experience and browse a book, check out the most popular titles or the latest trends before moving further into the heart of the flagship store.
Nowhere is the intention of creating a dialogue between inside and outside, between the products, stories, the bookstore and the city, clearer than in the large shop windows that are a distinguishing feature of the flagship store; they are designed to make people feel more involved and rouse their curiosity. After this boundary, visitors step into the Mondadori Store world, with the various display areas, with a perspective that, at a glance, concentrates what will be more accurately expressed inside: books, from new releases to special editions, from children and young people’s books to comics, cookery, the English section, as well as stationery and music. It is real preview of the assortment inside.
Author- or artist-talk experiences will become direct and immersive, in an area designed for this purpose with a dedicated entrance. During book-signing events, the second shop window can be opened, which will allow staggered entry. There is also a shop window with listening stations, to enjoy audiobooks independently.
Three floors of experiences
A large central arena is the heart of the ground floor, with a system of arches and natural light entering through large glass skylights.
This flexible floor is suitable for events that are fully open to the public and provide an all-round experience, creating iconic and deeply involving moments.
The ideal immersive experiential path continues on the first floor, where visitors are welcomed by natural-size, iconic statues of characters from the world of superheroes and manga: here is Just Comics, the format created by Mondadori Retail for comic lovers. The pop, coloured area is a true explosion of styles, shapes, stories, strokes; a kaleidoscope of adventures and emotions, which are perfectly summed up in the installation that starts from the back wall, extends to the roof and lights up the area itself: fragments of back-lit comics invade the space and stick out from the grid.
We are Junior is the area in the basement. Conceived with wooden trees, reading platforms, comfortable seats fitted into the bookshelves, it is an invitation to effectively experience the all-absorbing discovery of books. As soon they enter the circular room, children are transported into a story, in an immersive, soft and welcoming setting.
The Mondolibri area (dedicated to the members of the Mondadori Store bookclub) is also on the basement floor. Here, customers can browse the catalogue and the club’s promotional initiatives in an area that is made particularly welcoming by brightly lit arches.