How design is changing the reading experience
Libraries, bookstores evolving into creative spaces
By Yun Suh-young
Libraries and bookstores, which have always been central in fostering an appreciation of knowledge, acquire an even more critical role in the age of lifelong learning. It’s also true they have never been confused for fun and hip places: take a girl to the library on a first date and you probably won’t have a second one.
However, this boredom is beginning to be deconstructed, thanks to the creative input of young and imaginative artists. The result is a full-blown reshaping of the reading experience. Libraries and bookstores are no longer just functional spaces, but havens for culture and social interaction.
It’s not just the architecture and interior that are being redesigned ― the changes are just as dramatic on the content side. Libraries, once the one-stop destination for all types of reading, are becoming increasingly specialized to meet the needs and speed of modern life. The way books are arranged and categorized is beginning to change as well.
The Hyundai Card Design Library, located in Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, is not only a place to read, but to be seen with its ultra-modern interior that contrasts with the traditional “hanok” it is built in. / Courtesy of Hyundai Card Design Library
Meanwhile, it could be the beginning of the end of traditional bookstores, which were already challenged by the ubiquity of online retailers. Of course, there is still value in the experience of spending a leisurely time leafing through a fresh stack of books. But that experience doesn’t necessarily have to happen at the moist and stuffy bookstores of your parent’s generation.
Books are now being sold at multi-function culture spaces and even coffee shops. The newly emerging book spaces are also equipping themselves with a fancy, trendy look. Maybe the bookstore is going the way of the PDA: since its functions are absorbed everywhere, it doesn’t really have to be independently anywhere.
Emergence of ‘design’ libraries
The Hyundai Card Design Library which opened in February is a perfect example of library meets design. This “design” library is a retouched “hanok” (traditional Korean house) that contains only books and media material related to design ― as in fashion, interior design, architecture, photography, graphics and so forth.
The purpose of this library, says Ryu Min-jeong from the library’s brand department, is to “restore the value of life.”
“It’s a space for people to receive inspiration. We want people to replenish their minds with fresh new ideas. It’s a place for people to relax and let their minds flow in an analogue space in this fast-moving, stress-inducing world,” said Ryu.
1984, located next to Hongik University Station in Mapo, northwestern Seoul, is an example of a multi-functioning space that not only offers books but also items related to art, music, fashion and life — basically anything related to lifestyle.
The library, located in the middle of the Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno, central, Seoul, is an artistic marriage between the past and present. The exterior is hanok, the interior is ultra-modern. This is not only a place to read, but to be seen.
“Because Hyundai Card is well-known for its stylish card designs, the company wanted to create a space well reflecting its image. The core motifs for the space were ‘inspiration’ and ‘concentration,’ ‘time’ and ‘space,’” said Ryu.
Because of its stylish construction, the library is a widely sought-after venue for designers who seek a quiet space for contemplation.
The library is three stories high. The first floor is an exhibition venue where special exhibitions are held every month under different themes. The second is the main library and the third is an attic for those wanting some time on their own.
The library possesses more than 11,000 books. About 70 percent of them are imported books that are hard to find in other stores and 3,000 are limited editions of out of print or rare books.
Hyundai Card also plans to build a travel-themed library in the coming year as its second space-branding project.
The Assouline Lounge, located next to Dosan Park in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, is not your ordinary bookstore but a “boutique” that sells “culture.” / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-young
Era of boutique bookstores
The evolution of bookstores is even more dramatic. In fact, the word bookstore doesn’t apply in many of these book-selling spaces that double as cultural hubs. These new type of places, many of them directly operated by publishers, choose to call themselves “boutiques” or “multi-function culture complexes.”
The Assouline Lounge located next to Dosan Park in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, is the Korean branch of the luxury publication brand, Assouline.
The global brand, which has flagship stores in 10 cities across the world including Paris, New York, Las Vegas, Mexico City, London, Lima and Istanbul, opened its first Asian branch in Seoul last August. The company has been known as a specialized publisher for luxury fashion brands and has been dubbed by the Washington Post as the “fashion industry’s favorite publisher.”
Assouline chooses to call its bookstore a “boutique” because it sees itself as an “art and culture creative group” rather than a publisher.
The Assouline Lounge stocks about 200 different titles in the categories of design, fashion, architecture, lifestyle, travel and photography. The books, which are sold at a highest price of 1 million won for limited editions, are for purchase and not for browsing.
For those in need of a private space for meetings, the lounge offers a VIP room for seven to eight people upon reservation.
The boutique will be holding exhibitions every month featuring works from different artists starting next month.
Multi-functioning space
An example of a multi-functioning culture space built around books is 1984, located next to Hongik University station in Mapo, northwestern Seoul.
Launched with the grand purpose of “rediscovering the value of books,” the store offers items related to art, music, fashion and life.
“It all started off with a focus on books, but now the focus has spread to anything related to lifestyle. This place is closer to a multi-functioning cultural space, which is different from bookstores. We sell culture,” said Yeom Seung-jae, the director of 1984.
The space is owned by a publisher of the same name - 1984. initially inspired by George Orwell’s classic book of the same name.
“Our value is reflected in our brand name. Just as the book is about rejecting totalitarianism, we also reject totalitarianism in culture. We want people to see and experience a lifestyle they’re new to,” said Yeom.
Opened on Sept. 20 last year, 1984 offers mostly design-related books as the publisher tries to differentiate itself from its rivals. Other than books, lifestyle-related items such as clothes, perfumes, household goods and accessories are on display. Unusual items like seeds and even wooden axes are sold there.
“These kinds of items are what people would have never have thought of buying at a store like this. As a director, I think lifestyle should be defined as something we haven’t experienced. Here, we try to bring those unknown lifestyles to the surface,” Yeom said.
Because the publishing industry is dwindling, selling books is not enough, the director said. Now, to sell books, publishers must sell culture.
Operating hours:
Hyundai Card Design Library
Tues- Sat: 1 p.m.- 10 p.m.
Sun: 11 am.- 6 p.m.
Only Hyundai Card users are allowed in.
For more information, call 02-3700-2700
Assouline Lounge
Mon-Fri: 10:30 a.m.- 11 p.m.
Sat- Sun: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Closed every third Sunday
For more information, call 02-516-0316
1984
Mon-Sun: 11 a.m.- 11 p.m.
For more information, call 02-325-1984