Cornelissen Art Material Shop in Bloomsbury

1998-1999

The present shop occupies the ground floor and basement of the grade II listed building built in the early 18th century. In the nineteen fifties a rear extension was built. This building is now in complete disrepair and our proposal is to demolish it and rebuild a new extension comprising a new basement, ground floor and a gallery as the first floor. The new and the existing ground floor shop space will be connected through three doorways (originally windows). A new gallery will occupy a shop area, office space and a small museum displaying old pigments no longer in production, antique artists equipment, writing instruments etc. Through two voids (openings) in the ground floor of the extension, customers can observe activities taking place in the basement, like preparation of the gold leaf into booklet form and bookbinding. A huge elliptical glazed roof will provide natural light to the ground floor and through the voids to the basement at the same time opening a view of the skylight from the basement.