Living Room Library

An exciting new community Living Room for Angel Edmonton.

Enfield Council appointed Jan Kattein Architects to lead on the design of the new 'Living Room', which responds directly to concerns raised during community engagement. Local community groups and residents felt that they were lacking essential spaces to host local groups, workshops and importantly, engage with large scale redevelopment in the local area.

The refurbishment of Fore Street Library has allowed the space to host a wider mix of uses, from youth facilities to business support, alongside improved functioning as a library, to create a highly versatile 'Living Room Library'. The space has given Enfield Council the ability to become more responsive to local people, and gives residents a space at the heart of their community to host advice clinics and workshops.

The Living Room creates an open shop window space in the front of the Library for exhibiting drawings and models, as well as hosting talks, presentations and advice surgeries. Beyond the reception area, a series of pivoting bookshelves and mobile work stations allow the entire space to be opened out to host lectures, readings, performances and training sessions for local people while retaining the core function of the library. In the rear, a new children’s section with elevated reading nooks brings to life the magic of reading.

The capacity to hold evening functions expands the opening hours of the library, giving a boost to the night time economy and improving security on the high street.

The space was jointly funding by Enfield Council and the GLA through their Good Growth Fund and was opened in July 2022 following completion of the refurbishment by two local contractors (Nico Construction and Building BloQs).