The city of Xi’an in China features a dramatic and iconic bookstore called YJY Maike Centre Flagship by Japanese designer Tomoko Ikegai.

The contemporary space has warm lighting, anchored by a large chandelier-like fixture that mimics pages floating in the air.

The curving staircase and dramatic, 33-foot-tall bookshelves help create a moody yet desirable interior, and focuses attention on the lighting design, which is entirely custom, and stunning in this space. Via MyModernMet:

yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-2
yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-8

“The overall effect is a tasteful, classic environment that reflects China’s long and proud history, where visitors can relax, unwind, learn, think, enjoy life, and embark on a creative journey that transcends space and time.”

yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-9
yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-14

Celebrated as one of China’s most beautiful bookstores, the space draws significant attention and traffic, averaging around 5,000 visitors on weekdays and 10,000–20,000 on weekends.

The dramatic spiral staircase is especially popular with visitors.

yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-4
yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-6
yjy-maike-centre-tomoko-ikegai-7

Discover more from Moss and Fog

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

What's your take?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Moss and Fog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading