«Librairie 7L»

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In the heart of Villa Medici, under vaulted color-wash ceilings painted in the 1970s by Balthus, former director of the French Academy, and accented by travertine ornaments, the Libraire 7L pop-up store in Rome reimagines the traditional ticket office, transforming it into a space where books take center stage. The furniture, designed by Manuel Bouzas and Rosita Palladino, draw inspiration from the "bouquinistes", bookstalls that line the banks of the Seine in Paris. These modular structures, reminiscent also of Roman "edicole," bridge the two cities, opening and closing just like their urban counterparts.
While the project references outdoor urban furniture, its goal is to create a dynamic interior space that can expand into a flexible setup for events and book presentations.
Manuel Bouzas and Rosita Palladino’s bouquinistes are designed for easy disassembly into two parts: the book stall and the legs. These legs double as supports for a matching table, following the same design language. Each bouquiniste is constructed from a single sheet of plywood and a polycarbonate panel, finished in reflective silver paint.
The materials used in the Libraire 7L pop-up reinterpret the textures and tones of Villa Medici, blending harmoniously with the surroundings. A subtle LED lighting design elevates the displayed books, transforming them into art pieces, a nod to how Karl Lagerfeld, founder of Libraire 7L, treated the texts in his personal library.

The French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici was founded by Louis XIV in 1666. It is a French institution that has been housed since 1803 in the Villa Medici, a sixteenth-century mansion surrounded by a seventeen-acre park, located on the Pincian Hill in the heart of Rome. It is a national public institution under the authority of the Ministry of Culture, fulfilling three complementary roles: hosting artists and art historians in residence for long stays of one year or shorter periods; implementing a cultural program covering all artistic and creative fields aimed at a broad audience; and preserving, restoring, studying, and promoting both its architectural and landscape heritage and its collections. The French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici is directed by Sam Stourdzé.

The Librairie 7L was founded in 1999 by Karl Lagerfeld in Paris and was acquired by CHANEL in 2021. The name 7L pays tribute to the address 7 rue de Lille in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, where it is located, and it was also Karl Lagerfeld's lucky number. 7L reflects the unconditional love its founder had for books and photography. The 700-square-meter space includes a bookstore showcasing new titles on visual arts, a library area where on-site creation is inspired by its personal collection, and a section dedicated to the Éditions 7L publishing house. The selection of books reflects the diversity of artistic production in the 20th and 21st centuries. It features works covering photography, design, decoration, and interior design, as well as monographs on fashion design, exhibition catalogs, and books on gardens and ceramics.