ARCHIVIABOOKS

Archivia Books, the independent bookshop specializing in illustrated books opened its doors to the public on New York’s Upper East Side on November 1, 2007.

Housed in a lovely, 800 square-foot space on Manhattan’s Lexington Avenue, the shop will feature over three thousand titles on architecture, design, decorative arts, interiors, furniture, gardens, fine arts, fashion, and a miscellany of fiction and non-fiction.

ArchiviaBooks will carry a comprehensive and passionately curated inventory of art-related books from domestic and foreign publishers, as well as out-of-print titles from all over the world. The store will serve a devoted neighborhood clientele as well as a professional base of architects, designers, gardeners, collectors, museum curators and all those interested in the visual and applied arts.

The shop will host a full calendar of events, including book launches and author signings, readings, and lectures by experts in the disciplines stocked at the shop.

Archivia’s Mission:

INVENTORY AT ARCHIVIABOOKS

After nearly 25 years buying books, Ms. Conigliaro retains a passion for this noble profession. The inventory is meant to serve a variety of design challenges or visual research projects — whether it be one faced by an architect, a gardener, or other professional in the visual and applied arts fields. The ability to satisfy a client’s request for an image, historical framework for an architectural style or expression of an artistic movement is the reason behind Ms. Conigliaro’s desire to return to the world of bookselling. Ms. Conigliaro intends to seek out and support small presses that are publishing interesting new books, feature the mainstream large publishing house’s lead titles, and to bring in European publishers who cover subjects not available in the U.S. and out-of-print titles of classics in these fields.

HISTORY OF ARCHIVIABOOKS

Shop owner Cynthia Conigliaro, formerly of Rizzoli International Bookstores (1980–1988), co-founded and co-owned the shop Archivia: The Decorative Arts Book Shop, which was located on Madison Avenue across from the Whitney Museum from 1991–2001. This original Archivia was a renowned book resource, supported by dedicated book-buying customers, and had, over the course of its 10 years on Madison Avenue, established an international reputation. In May 2001 the shop closed, allowing Ms. Conigliaro to spend time with her growing family. Happily, October 2007 saw this well-respected, iconic store reopen its doors to the global design community.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARCHIVIABOOKS

ArchiviaBooks was designed by Ms. Conigliaro herself. Located on Lexington Avenue between 72nd and 71st Street, the shop is a graciously proportioned rectangle with two large display windows on the Avenue. The space was previously occupied for 17 years by a furniture and decorating shop and required major renovations. The maple floors, bookcases, sales counter, and display tables are complemented by Tuscan Orange walls. Other design details include a red and orange striped carpet, brushed stainless steel accents, a Verner Panton chandelier above a white Saarinen table, and modern interpretations of library table lamps by LucePlan atop the three main display tables. The desk chairs are white leather Eames, the file cabinets cranberry Herman Miller, the counter tops Rosso Verona marble, mottled like endpapers of a Venetian volume.

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ArchiviaBooks: 993 Lexington Avenue @ 71st Street (212)570-9565