Reading is a deeply personal activity, and the Enclave Independent Bookshop, which just opened in Shenzhen, China, offers readers discrete spaces for curling up with their folios. The shop employs a series of tilted bookshelves that clear space for small, isolated niches behind the shelves, and readers can nestle into those literary caves to get some quiet privacy while they read.
Though the bookshelf in Enclave Independent Bookshop is indeed a single shelving unit that wraps around the perimeter of the interior, its serpentine shape allows for space behind the shelves as well as in front of them. There are small, low archways built into the shelves so people in the shop can access those areas, and the niches have cushions and couches on the ground to make reading there as comfortable as possible.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Discrete Reading Nooks
- Bookstores are introducing discrete reading spaces for customers seeking quiet privacy.
- Cushioned Niche Seating
- Bookstores are adding comfortable seating to the hidden niche spaces located behind serpentine bookshelves.
- Serpentine Bookshelves
- Bookstores are using bookshelf designs that provide unique features, such as hidden reading areas, to attract customers.
Where This Applies
- Bookstores
- Bookstores can capitalize on the trend of discrete reading nooks by redesigning their stores to include hidden spaces for customers to read in peace and comfort.
- Furniture & Interior Design
- Companies can seize the opportunity to design furniture and interiors for bookshops that incorporate serpentine bookshelves and hidden niches with comfortable seating.
- Real Estate
- Real estate developers can incorporate unique bookstores, featuring custom designs and innovative bookshelf displays, into their commercial buildings to attract tenants.
