Belmont Library
A Beloved Neighborhood Library, Reimagined
Client: Multnomah County Library
Location: Portland, Oregon
Date: August 2026
Market: Civic / Government
Architect: Bora Architecture & Interiors
The newly expanded Belmont Library has more than doubled in size, growing from roughly 6,000 to approximately 15,000 square feet, while keeping its original 1924 brick building at the heart of a new two-story addition. Furnishings across the branch were selected to match that dual identity — grounding the historic building in warm wood tones while giving the new addition a playful, saturated palette of blues, oranges, and yellows that carries through every age group's space.
Furniture-Driven Space Highlights:
Lounge & Collaborative Seating
Modular banquette seating anchors the reading and study areas, paired with individually mounted wood-top tables and cantilevered orange metal-frame chairs that allow small groups to pull up seats without committing to a fixed table setting. Oversized leather bean bags and a petite teal accent table add casual, low-slung options nearby for patrons who'd rather sink in than sit up.
Reading Nooks & Window Seating
Lounge chairs with matching round side tables line the windows, creating a row of individual reading spots overlooking the neighborhood. Elsewhere, built-in wood bench seating with sculpted, cupped profiles and blue upholstered cushions turns a stretch of wall into two-person reading nooks, a millwork-and-upholstery combination that maximizes seating without adding floor clutter.
Centering the Community
Every furniture and finish decision reflects extensive engagement with Belmont's neighborhood. Before design began, more than 800 people weighed in through an online survey, a print survey, and an open house, and most respondents favored keeping the historic building while roughly doubling its size. As design continued, the project team engaged over 3,000 people through more than 60 activities, including a public vote, with over 1,500 ballots cast, that selected "Evening Glow" as the branch's interior color palette: warm orange and golden-yellow tones shifting into calming blues, the same palette carried through the lounge and teen furniture.
