There are few places as cosy and inviting as libraries. But The Library Bakery comes pretty close. The hole-in-the-wall shop is the work of Aileen Seo (Maha), her husband Paul Kwon (The Press Club) and her brother Jiho Sur – the trio behind beloved Baguette Studios. Like Baguette Studios, this younger sibling draws influence from France and Korea.
The name reflects the team’s desire to create a library of flavours. Goods on offer might include pretzel baguettes, pumpkin scones and salted chocolate cookies.
But the signature is “the book”, a pastry inspired by the South Korean peanut butter bread that Seo loved as a child. The book is a laminated pastry shaped like a book left open, that includes peanut cream, crushed peanuts, salted caramel and layers of laminated pastry that mimic the pages of a book. Seo developed all the bread and pastries alongside Kwon and Sur (who worked in pastry teams at hotels including the Park Hyatt and Crown Melbourne).
The team collaborated with branding designer Henry Ro and furniture designer Brandon Harrison to create a minimal yet inviting space. Pastel purple and turquoise stools line one side of the rectangular-shaped store, while white walls and industrial-like flooring leave the eyes to focus on the freshly baked pastries on display.
