A recent article by Interior Design really caught our attention. The article shows a Zhongshuge Bookstore in Suzhou, China, whose space is incredible and definitely not what you think of when you picture a bookstore. Zhongshuge is a chain in China, and is often featured on lists of the world’s most beautiful bookstores. We can certainly see why.
Zhongshuge was forced to solve two big issues as they began creating this space. As a brick-and-mortar store with old-fashioned printed books in one of the most technologically-driven countries in the world, it’s tough to bring visual appeal to the store that drives people inside. With this space, they wanted to bring in elements of nature, but could only use man-made materials to do so. This play between nature and artifice was central in their vision, and they had to make it work. Here’s why:
“In my opinion, there is no significant difference between the two (nature and artifice). It just depends on how much humans change their environment. For me, once people interact with or even just observe the natural world, then to some extent they transform it.” – Wutopia principal Yu Ting
The space is broken up in different areas, which you often see in a bookstore — children’s section, fiction, etc. Each area has a purpose, and each area its own color, design, and style.
“For traditional bookstores, designers tend to place too much stress on the shelving,” he says. “What we should pay more attention to is the book itself. So we tried our best to develop the purest display.”
The lighting really grabbed our attention here, and it’s one of the things you notice from the streets below. This is not a big space, but they really use this lighting along with a lot of alternative materials to create implied space and visual interest. It drives people in.
This space truly tells a story and creates interest for everyone that walks in the door. All done for a bookstore. It doesn’t matter what your company does and what you consider “traditional” space for you company. It’s more about your story, your culture, and your belief. And remember, you don’t always need a new office space to create the look of more space (unless, of course, you need actual space). A few small things like adding or upgrading lighting and adding some alternative materials can really transform your space.