More timber-print aluminum inspired by paper art enlivens the ceiling of the retail area, which has custom display tables.
More timber-print aluminum inspired by paper art enlivens the ceiling of the retail area, which has custom display tables.

July 7, 2022

Words: Wilson Barlow

Photography: POPO VISION, GD Media

Panorama Design Group Goes Beyond Books with Reading Mi in Foshan, China

In the atrium of a bustling shopping mall in Foshan, China, there is an oasis of calm. It’s the Reading Mi bookstore, a conceptual space from the Yoyi Books brand. Panorama Design Group, led by founder Horace Pan, took inspiration from the books’ forms and translated them into architectural features throughout the space. Take the aluminum slats in the double-height ceiling of the entrance hall, bent to look like a book laying open. The plan progresses through multi-functional spaces that go beyond browsing and buying books; visitors might see a presentation in the theater, engage in creative play in the children’s space, or have a drink and a bite to eat in the café. This austere, airy store, is filled with wood and wood-look elements, from timber floor tile to the beech-wood veneer cash-wrap desk. It’s like a temple to the printed word. 

The double-height entrance hall of Reading Mi, a bookstore in Foshan, China, has a herringbone ceiling of timber-print aluminum slats that takes the form of an open book.
The double-height entrance hall of Reading Mi, a bookstore in Foshan, China, has a herringbone ceiling of timber-print aluminum slats that takes the form of an open book.
Natural light illuminates the 100-seat open-plan theater that doubles as a quiet reading area.
Natural light illuminates the 100-seat open-plan theater that doubles as a quiet reading area.
More timber-print aluminum inspired by paper art enlivens the ceiling of the retail area, which has custom display tables.
More timber-print aluminum inspired by paper art enlivens the ceiling of the retail area, which has custom display tables.
The children’s area has a pint-sized foam and leather upholstery seating nook and custom LED signage.
The children’s area has a pint-sized foam and leather upholstery seating nook and custom LED signage.

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