Reading matter: Second Home's bookshop, Libreria, opens its doors
![The facade of the Libreria bookshop in Londres](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/H32txtnFtbz6kAUAgGaENW-415-80.jpg)
Following up on their acclaimed work for one of London's key creative work spaces, Second Home, architects José Selgas and Lucía Cano of Selgascano have just unveiled their newest collaboration with the company's founders, Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton; Libreria is the capital's latest heaven for book-lovers.
Sitting opposite the Second Home premises, East London's 'space for entrepreneurs and creative businesses', this new book shop, printing press and multimedia space on 65 Hanbury Street is a celebration of reading. The space explores new ways of presenting and displaying books – there's even a record player and whisky bar on site. 'We wanted to maximise the sense of discovery, via general themes, such as Mother, Madonnas And Whores,' explains director Sally Davies.
Setting up a bookshop is not about nostalgia, Silva assures us. 'Libreria has been years in the making – we believe in the value of books and literature and have wanted to do this for a long time,' he says. 'Across industries we are seeing a return to physical, material things and a fresh appreciation of craftsmanship. These things are not being killed by the digital; they are being given new life.'
The design concept was just as well thought out, using literary references and clever materials. The architecture 'draws inspiration from Jorge Borges' short story The Library of Babel', explain the architects. Showcasing the Spanish architecture practice's signature use of colour and raw materials, such as wood normally used for board formed concrete and a stretch plastic ceiling, the space is a composition of carefully curated shelves. Custom made lamps are created by artist Dr Cato.
Presented as a 're-imagining' of the traditional bookshop – and more – Libreria will offer a cosmopolitan atmosphere, as well as a quiet sanctuary for all visitors. This will also be a counterpoint to Second Home's techie side, as it will be, Silva explains, 'a technology free bookshop'.
Libreria will open its doors to the public this week and plans to offer a wide ranging program of events, some shared with its neighbouring Second Home base.
The interior is a clever and careful configuration of shelves, wrapping around the walls, creating interesting book display areas, as well as seating space, a record player shelf and whisky bar
The architects drew inspiration from Jorge Borges' short story The Library of Babel, for their design
Libreria will open its doors to the public this week, also offering a program of public events
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Selgascano website
Photography: Iwan Baan
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Westminster Coroner's Court renovation delicately blends moments of softness and austerity
Westminster Coroner's Court gets a refresh and addition, courtesy of Lynch Architects and artist Brian Clarke
By Ellie Stathaki Published