A room can do more than look beautiful. It can invite curiosity, encourage participation, and help people imagine new possibilities for themselves. That idea guided Amy Bloom and the Spundesign team while redesigning a new science, technology, engineering, art, and math learning space at the Allentown Public Library.
Created through a partnership with telecommunications provider Astound, the new learning environment gives children, students, families, and community members a welcoming place to explore STEAM programming in the heart of Allentown. The project is also a powerful example of how thoughtful commercial interior design in the Lehigh Valley can support education, connection, and long-term community impact.
A Learning Space Built Around Possibility
Libraries have always been places to discover information, but today’s public libraries are also active community hubs. They host hands-on programs, introduce children to new subjects, connect families with resources, and create opportunities that extend far beyond traditional classroom learning.
The goal for this room was not simply to update its appearance. The design needed to help the space feel exciting, approachable, and ready for many different kinds of programming. It had to communicate that science and technology belong alongside imagination, creativity, and art.
That combination is at the heart of STEAM education. By designing the environment around all five disciplines, Amy created a room that supports focused learning while still feeling energetic and inspiring.
Bringing Art Into the STEAM Experience
During the project’s opening, Amy explained that she wanted children working with science, math, and technology to be surrounded by artistic inspiration as well. That design direction helped shape a learning environment that feels creative rather than clinical.
Color, visual interest, and intentional design can affect how people experience a room. In an educational setting, those choices can make a space feel less intimidating and more open to experimentation. A child who does not immediately identify as a “math person” or a “science person” may still feel drawn in through art, pattern, creativity, or hands-on discovery.
Great educational design does not tell children there is only one way to learn. It gives them different ways to enter the experience.
From an Ordinary Room to a Community Resource
The transformation was months in the making. According to the library team, seeing the finished room is especially striking when compared with what the space looked like before. The redesign gave the library more than a refreshed interior—it created a flexible destination for summer STEAM programming and future educational opportunities.
A New Place to Learn, Connect, and Imagine
The new STEAM learning space is now open to the public and already supporting summer programming. More importantly, it gives local children and families another reason to see the Allentown Public Library as a place for discovery, creativity, and belonging.
For Spundesign, the project is a reminder that interior design can have a lasting impact when beauty and purpose are treated as part of the same conversation. Amy’s redesign did not simply change a room. It helped create a new setting for ideas, skills, confidence, and community connection to grow.
Read the original WFMZ 69 News coverage of the Allentown Public Library STEAM space opening.
Planning a workplace, educational facility, nonprofit space, or other public-facing interior? Learn more about Spundesign’s commercial interior design services in the Lehigh Valley, explore our interior design portfolio, or start a conversation about your space.
