The challenge was high: to transform a place that was once too white, neutral and difficult to read into a lively, attractive and inspiring cultural space, capable of welcoming all audiences while paying tribute to the free and visionary personality of Nelly Kaplan, a figure of cinema, literature and artistic commitment.
Our approach is in line with the expertise developed by Métamorphoze for cultural venues:
👉 https://metamorphoze.art/lieux/decoration-mediatheque-centre-culturel/
A sensitive tribute to Nelly Kaplan
The media library bears the name of an extraordinary creator: filmmaker, writer, woman of freedom and imagination. We wanted this identity to permeate every wall, every signage, every graphic detail.
Without literally illustrating his work, the frescoes evoke his universe in touches: references to cinema, writing, the visual arts, the poetry of moving images.
Stylised camera silhouettes dialogue with fragments of sentences, shapes reminiscent of film reels mingle with floral motifs. The project thus makes the link between cultural memory and contemporary creation, faithful to the spirit of Nelly Kaplan who refused the boundaries between disciplines.
An exterior and interior wall identity
The metamorphosis begins as soon as you approach the building.
The exterior wall cladding has been designed as an urban sign, visible and welcoming. The facades become a first page of the story, announcing what the visitor will discover inside: a place open to the world, to stories and to creation.
Inside, each space now has its own personality while being part of an overall coherence. The reception, the real heart of the media library, was designed as a gateway to the imagination. The circulations are no longer simple corridors but narrative paths guided by frescoes and directional signage.
Our design studio has developed this entire custom graphic charter:
👉 https://metamorphoze.art/atelier/studio-creation-artistique/
Hand-drawn frescoes, with lines
All the wall decorations have been made in the form of unique, hand-drawn frescoes.
The choice of the manual line was essential: it brings a warmth, a vibration and a humanity that standardized prints cannot offer. Each line tells the story of a gesture, each shape carries an intention.
The graphic vocabulary combines natural and floral poetry with cultural references . Plants become metaphors for stories that grow and branch. The geometric shapes are reminiscent of the architecture of pages, screens and cinema frames. The whole creates a visual landscape that is both contemporary and timeless.
Reinvented spaces for all audiences
The adult area has been designed as a place of calm and concentration. The frescoes are more refined, promoting immersion in reading. Nods to the world of books and films discreetly accompany the shelves.
The youth sector, on the other hand, allows itself brighter colors and more playful shapes. Walls become playgrounds for the imagination, without ever falling into infantilization. Children find reassuring visual cues that facilitate orientation.
The gaming area and the AI division introduce a more technological dimension. The motifs evoke pixels, networks, digital flows, while remaining connected to the floral and poetic common thread. The media library thus assumes its role as a bridge between tradition and innovation.
The activity rooms and the herbal tea room offer more intimate atmospheres, conducive to workshops, meetings and breaks. Everywhere, the wall decoration dialogues with the furniture and lighting to create a harmonious whole.
Cultural and sensitive signage
Space signage, directional signage and floor plans were integrated from the design stage.
The aim was to make the place immediately understandable without resorting to overly administrative language. The pictograms have been redesigned to match the style of the frescoes. The colours serve as markers between the different poles.
This signage does not just indicate; she tells us. It accompanies the visitor like a graphic Ariadne’s thread, faithful to the vocation of the media library: to guide everyone to the works and knowledge.
Making a place that is too neutral attractive
Before the renovation, the building suffered from a neutrality that did not reflect the richness of the collections or the diversity of uses. The project had to give a soul to architecture, create a desire to enter it, to stay there, to come back.
The frescoes have transformed perceptions. The white walls have become a medium for stories. The circulations, once impersonal, now invite discovery. Visitors testify to a renewed sense of welcome, as if the media library had found its voice.
This ability of mural art to transform places is at the heart of our approach:
👉 https://www.metamorphoze.art
A dialogue between culture, cinema and literature
The Nelly Kaplan Media Library was to be a transversal space, in the image of today’s cultural practices. The frescoes therefore weave links between words, images, screens, sounds. We can guess pages that turn into films, sentences that become landscapes, flowers that change into typographic characters.
This visual dialogue reminds us that the media library is not only a place of storage but a laboratory of creations. The wall decorations encourage curiosity, the desire to explore new media, to move from novel to film, from video game to documentary.
Consistent with contemporary renovation
The new graphic charter designed for the project served as a common thread throughout the renovation. The colours of the frescoes respond to the materials, the patterns accompany the furniture, the typographies harmonise with the interior architecture.
Nothing has been set up as a simple set. Each intervention has been designed according to the real uses: areas of silence, convivial spaces, places of passage, corners dedicated to children. Mural art thus becomes a design tool as well as an aesthetic expression.
A place of well-being and transmission
Beyond the image, the project aims to improve the daily experience of users and teams. A high-quality visual environment promotes concentration, exchange and the pleasure of frequenting cultural venues. The media library is positioned as a benevolent third place, open to all generations.
The poetic messages scattered throughout the frescoes remind us of the power of shared stories. They invite us to take our time, to dream, to learn. In a world saturated with information, the media library becomes a refuge of meaning.
A media library in the image of Nelly Kaplan
With this creation of wall decorations and signage concepts, the Nelly Kaplan Media Library is asserting itself as a new generation of cultural facilities. It pays tribute to the creative freedom of the woman whose name it bears, while meeting the contemporary needs of the public.
The hand-drawn frescoes, the sensitive signage and the bespoke graphic charter have made it possible to transform a neutral building into a lively, inspiring and accessible place. A space where literature meets cinema, where play dialogues with knowledge, where each wall tells a story.
This achievement illustrates our belief that mural art can become a transformative engine for cultural venues, creating environments that make people want to read, see, imagine and share.
