Fancy

[posted by James]

This is a former Dominican church that was transformed into a bookstore for booksellers Selexyz Dominicanen by architecture firm Merkx & Girod.

The store demanded 1,200 sq m of commercial area where only 750 were available.

The initial idea of the client to install a second floor within the church was rejected by the designers, because this would completely destroy the spatial qualities of the church. The solution was found in the creation of a monumental walk-in bookcase spanning several floors and situated a-symmetrically in the church. In doing so the left side of the church remained empty while on the other side customers are lead upstairs in the three- storey ‘Bookflat.’

The ground floor gives room to several different book displays, information desks, magazine-stands and cash registers, all made of standard sheet materials in different colours and surfaces.

(via)

How to Advertise a Book in Europe

Apparently they view books differently in Europe than they do here. This is how they launch a book in Spain:



and Portugal:



The book is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and is one of the better fantasy novels I've read in a while. The fact that in Europe they make commercials to help advertise new books kind of makes me want to live there instead of here.

(posted by Bonnie)