We’re delighted to announce we have won the Store Fit-Out of the Year award at the 2017 eftpos Australian Retail Awards!

We won this award for the design of our two newest bookshops – Readings Doncaster and Readings Kids. Both shops were designed by local Melbourne architecture firm Nest.

Readings Doncaster’s design captures the feel of an open book by using curved arches and curved wooden slats in the entryway, and the interior further highlights this aesthetic with arched bookshelves lining the walls. The interior bookshelves all have rolling ladders and the store has two sound-proofed ‘reading nooks’ where customers can pause, sit down and read a little of a book.

The design of the Readings Kids store aims to capture the feel of the outdoors while at the same time highlighting everything that is wonderful about children’s literature. The store features a moveable tiered ‘hill’, custom shelving, and the centrepiece of the store is a huge mural hand painted onto one entire wall by local artist, illustrator and author Marc Martin, featuring a range of animals, trees and a twisting, turning river. You can read a Q&A with Martin about the mural here.

If you haven’t seen our newest shops, now is the perfect time to pop in for a visit and see our award-winning designs.

The Australian Retail Awards are Australia’s first and largest retail awards program. You can find out more about the awards, and this year’s other winners from across the categories, here.