This is an interior remodeling project. The original building was designed by Liang Jingyu, an architect of renown in 1990s, which served as an adjunctive space to a well-known art institution back then. The floor plan of the architecture presents an asymmetric U-form, of which the south side of the space is long and narrow, the west side wider, and the south facade with French windows of a strong sense of sequence. The west side of the space is relatively upright and foursquare, to which, after repeated rentals and renovations, a second floor and an attached space had been added. The north side is shorter, a two-storeyed part serving as logistics space.

The new function of the building is planned as a new-type entity bookstore, which is not only supposed to fulfill its fundamental function of book sales as a traditional bookstore, but also to meet the needs of customers for relaxation and socializing as a public space. The specific functions include library zone, cafe zone, multi-functional meeting zone, small-sized exhibition zone, VIP service zone, and logistics and office zone.

The style of the interior design is inspired from the Art Deco aesthetics in the middle 20^th century. This traces back to the history of the bookstore: It was founded by an Austrian Jew in Shanghai during his escape from the Nazi’s persecution, which was passed through to New York and Chicago and finally taken over by a Chinese and brought back to Beijing. From the designer’s point of view, this legend should be interpreted with a sort of best fitting form language which has to be the Art Deco style that once enjoyed brilliant and glorious fame both in Shanghai and New York. The geometric and a bit complicated decorative lines, the full-bodied contrast colors and the application of metal materials remind people of the golden era permeated with jazz music, perfectly coinciding with the most flourishing time of the bookstore.