a riblike wood ceiling in a bookstore

February 15, 2024

Words: Wilson Barlow

Photography: POPO VISION

Explore the Written Word in This Conceptual Bookstore

2023 Best of Year Winner for Retail

In the atrium of a bustling Foshan, China, shopping mall, there is an oasis of calm: a 27,000-square-foot conceptual bookstore by Panorama Design Group from the Yoyi Book brand. Throughout Reading Mi, aspects of paperbacks are translated into architectural features. Take the wood slats in the double-height ceiling of the entrance hall, bent to look like an open tome. The plan then progresses through flex spaces that go beyond simply browsing and buying. Visitors might watch storytelling in the theater that doubles as a quiet reading room, engage in creative play in the children’s area, or have a bite to eat in the café. The airy store is also filled with wood and timber-effect materials. It’s like a temple to the printed word.

Best of Year Awards 2023

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees

Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.

2023 WINNERS
detail of the ceiling pattern which allows sunlight in
a book display with a dark ceiling featuring a curved pattern
a riblike wood ceiling in a bookstore
an open area to read in the bookstore
PROJECT TEAM

Horace Pan; Rachel Wong; Raine Fu.

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