Is reading outdated?
Reading to me, is an escape from the outside world. Sitting down wrapped up in a blanket, book in hand with a hot chocolate by your side; every once in a while getting a slight smell of that freshly bought books pages, reminding you just how good it is to disconnect and be pulled in to a another world. Call me old fashioned but i’d pick a book over a smart phone any day of the week.
So when I came across this article I just had to write about it! A new bookstore “Harbook” in Hangzhou, China has opened up. Before we start talking about the design of bookstore let’s reminisce in what once was the ideal place to go buy and read your books. When you hear the word bookstore, what do you think of? I’ll tell you want I think; brick walls, mismatched coloured chairs paired with rustic tables, rows of selves with old looking, dusty books; a wee counter in the corner with a old man waiting to serve you, a welcoming homely atmosphere. And i’ll tell you what I don’t think; an open space with concrete walls and floors, bright pops of colours, abstract looking furniture and zero books in sight, a place that looks more like a nightclub than a bookstore. But in a way I guess that’s what us millennials want these days, an “industrial looking art gallery”, don’t get me wrong I really like the interior but I just don’t like it as an interior for a bookstore. I would happily use this as a cafe, even a restaurant but I just don’t feel like I would be comfortable enough to sit here and read my book, let alone warm enough. I have a feeling people would spend more time taking aesthetically pleasing photos than read a book here.
Having said all that, I do feel that the designer Alberto Caiola has out done himself, he’s forgotten about the traditional bookstore that people know and love and has taken today’s generation into consideration, using that iconic dusty pink that we see everywhere; using the modern design to make us millennials feel like we have something dedicated to us, wether that is a meet up place, a bookstore or a photoshoot opportunity; we have somewhere we are comfortable.
Beside the fact that I love a good book as much as the next person and that’s why I found this article interesting enough to write about, I also wanted to show you guys that just because places seem like the are more of an interest to older generations (bookstores) doesn’t mean that millennials don’t enjoy them as well.
Drew Moody
