1. Sinan Books, Shanghai
An outpost of the London Review Bookshop, Sinan Books in Shanghai features four multi-coloured storeys of books across its 6,889 sqft space, as well as a café and living room, a recording studio, open areas for exhibitions, and nooks for reading. Housed in Building 25, one of the colonial Sinan Mansions, the bookstore is designed by Shanghai-based Wutopia Lab, who has each floor likened to a part of the human body.
The basement level as the subconscious, with books on history and philosophy; the ground entrance level—the heart—is home to a café and living room; the first floor as the eyes and ears, with areas dedicated to art and music, as well as spaces for book club events, exhibitions and mini concerts; and the fourth as the brain, featuring a quiet writer’s study and space for saloons. There’s also a white marble terrace on the rooftop.
Sinan Mansion, 517 Fuxing Zhong Lu, Shanghai, China
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