Gleebooks by AN+A

A much-loved icon of the Sydney literary community, Gleebooks in Glebe has undergone a major refurbishment that retains its unique spirit yet readies it for the next chapter.

AN+A was engaged to extend the bookshop floor and event space, create a designated area for children’s literature and establish a light-filled mezzanine for the new Gleebooks Cafe. The carefully considered transformation and restoration saw the skilful reimagining of heritage, hospitality and retail elements.

The carefully considered transformation and restoration saw the skilful reimagining of heritage, hospitality and retail elements.

Located on Glebe Point Road, a significant public space and popular shopping and dining destination, Gleebooks’s facade is ornamental, featuring symmetrical masonry and decorative elements. The Victorian Italianate structure was constructed in the late 1800s, and the existing hipped roof and timber framing were carefully restored. The team also worked with heritage architects Graham Brooks to execute a new external colour palette, which complements the building’s historic details.

Internally, original cast iron posts were retained, while the suspended plasterboard ceiling was removed, the existing hardwood beams were replaced with recycled hardwood and the point of sale was relocated and constructed from a 100-year-old piece of blackbutt hardwood. To the rear, a glass lift is bound by concrete blade walls and a new concrete staircase, juxtaposing the warmth of the heritage brick walls, the new pink cafe level and Studio MAAT’s signage that replicates the Gleebooks decals of old.

Holding thousands of stories, the building weaves a narrative of its own, filled with character and careful intent.

AN+A’s approach to the fit-out was playful and sophisticated, in places referencing the physical qualities of a book. Design cues were taken from the curve of a hardcover book’s spine, the concrete edge detail of the rear laneway referencing the micro steps of an open book’s pages, while the arched windows replicate curved cotton binding. Thin, laminated plywood makes up the new bookshelves, referencing the pages of paper housed within them.

Holding thousands of stories, the building weaves a narrative of its own, filled with character and careful intent. AN+A has adopted a detailed, honest approach to the bookshop, which not only conveys thoughtfulness and dedication but also imbues the space with plenty of glee.

Architecture, interior design and landscape installation by AN+A. Build by Iceberg Enterprises. Structural engineering by GNFP. Geotechnical engineering by JK Geotechnics. Hydraulic engineering by Endepth Engineers. Heritage consulting by GBA Heritage. Wayfinding and signage by Studio MAAT. Consultant planning by Andrew Martin Planning.