Locust Valley Library  Children’s Wing 
Locust Valley, NY  |  2018

The Locust Valley Library Children’s Room is a revered asset in the community, yet it is limited by basement rooms connected by corridors, by its constricted size, by limited natural light, and by a limited renovation budget.  Its train theme identity was prompted by a nearby historic train line but clearly needed imaginative reinterpretation. Prime among elements requiring creative rethinking was a replacement for the existing “train tracks” created with peeling black electrical tape applied to the surface of the carpet.  MDA’s created a color palette and lighting scheme designed to make the basement space feel luminous and inviting.  Rather than develop an expensive custom solution for incorporating a track in the flooring, using Shaw’s Mindful Play modular carpet series, we devised an artistic blend of colors that gave identity to the areas as they flowed from one to another. We created a system where blended gray and black tiles were cut into strips and inserted, imply an integrated train track that wove throughout the brightly colored background patterns in the space. We planned the placement of every tile and created a template for the installers so nothing was left to chance.  The Shaw product allowed us to create a perfect solution: an abstracted track integrated into the flooring, a way-finding device leading the children through the variety of spaces, and predominant color within the carpet palette that identifies each space. It is colorful, exciting and symbolic in a way which sparks the imagination of its young users.

MDA designgroup as Architect