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A Library Redesigned For Learning, Collaboration, and Community

Location: Redlands, CA
Year Complete: 2024
Location: Irvine, CA
Year Complete: 2025
KI-58
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Redlands, CA, Library Building

 

Moore Middle School’s library was doing four jobs: media center, classroom, project gallery, and book-fair venue. But it was designed for one. By removing static furniture and introducing mobile solutions, we unlocked the space’s potential to serve learning, collaboration, and community all at once.

The Vision

Every school library tells a story about how it’s meant to be used. Moore’s story was written in fixed bookcases, assigned seating, and shelving that consumed 40% of the floor while serving only one use case.
 
We started by listening to the librarian. What actually gets used? What gets shoved aside? What would make life easier? From there, the vision became clear: remove what doesn’t serve. Replace it with what does.
 
The librarian was the true expert. She knew her community, her students, and the daily dance of reconfiguring spaces for different needs. Working alongside her and the facilities team, we identified 8 floor-to-ceiling bookcases that were taking up valuable real estate while holding less than 30% of the collection.
 
The result wasn’t a reduction. It was a reimagining. By removing stationary furniture optimized solely for storage, we freed 35% of the floor, creating breathing room for flexibility, collaboration, and choice.
 
Color and materiality mattered too. The warm wood tones of the remaining shelving balanced with the soft blues of collaborative seating created an environment that felt inviting and grounded, not corporate or cold.

 

Scope of Work

  • Mobile book displays on casters (reconfigure in 2 minutes)
  • Flip-top collaborative tables with lock-wheel bases
  • Soft seating clusters with height-appropriate round tables
  • Storage ottomans serving dual duty as informal seating
  • Removal and relocation of stationary furniture by facilities partnership
  • Space planning to create distinct zones within one flexible room
bluespace interiors partnered with Moore Middle School to deliver a solution-centric approach that prioritized the librarian’s expertise and the facilities team’s operational knowledge. Every furniture selection was tested against a simple question: Does this serve learning, collaboration, or community?
 
Mobile solutions were specified to allow multiple configurations within minutes, not hours. Height-adjustable and modular pieces accommodated different uses without requiring permanent fixtures. Soft seating created islands of comfort for quiet reading while flip-tops enabled group work. Storage became visible and accessible, eliminating the need for hidden deep shelving.

Project Management

bluespace interiors managed the project from space planning through installation, coordinating with the librarian, facilities team, and procurement to ensure smooth delivery. The key wasn’t selling furniture. It was solving a staffing and scheduling problem first, then specifying solutions that matched.

 

By prioritizing mobility and ease of reconfiguration, we delivered a space capable of evolving alongside the library’s programs. What Moore needed wasn’t a renovation. It was permission to use one room multiple ways.
 
The result is a library that serves learning, collaboration, and community, all in the same square footage and at a fraction of the cost of building separate spaces.

Project Designer:

Clay Pendergrast

Architect:

The Smith Group

Partners

Teknion
Global
SitOnIt
Krug
Wieland
Mayer Fabrics

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