English · UKArchitect Sonia Font has designed an avant-garde open space with a holistic approach to culture and gastronomy.
Her original approach to using the PORCELANOSA Group collections took her project to the final stage in the “Design of the Future” category.
Paper and coffee are the two key features of BookWood, a bookshop and cafeteria where all the elements thread through a warm restrained design. This was the intention of Sonia Font, the architect who devised this project, using PORCELANOSA Group collections, and who succeeded in reaching the final in the 12th Porcelanosa Awards in the Design of the Future – Professional section.
Culture as a link
The main challenge was to combine tradition with modernity, in other words, the tangible and digital worlds. To achieve this, Font used warm collections such as Forest Arce by PAR-KER and Tortona 1L Strada by L’Antic Colonial.
Forest Arce is a sustainable ceramic parquet flooring (Eco Conscious). Its composition includes 95% recycled material and 40% less CO2 is emitted during its manufacture. Used as the main flooring in common areas, this collection’s connection with nature is accentuated by the oak used in Tortona 1L Strada.
The soft colours of this natural wood suggest a futuristic forest full of new generation books, newspapers and screens. “This bookshop is customer-friendly, while aiming to modernize a product as old as it is practical. It reminds us of the origins of paper, bringing everything together in the same circle and creating a completely new space where you can read a book while sipping a cup of coffee,” Font explains.
This combination of culture, design and gastronomy characterizes each room. They feature light, robust and timeless materials such as limestone, which explains the choice of Milan (STON-KER ®), the ceramic stone by Venis that is used to coat the columns.
This sculptural touch, which recalls the thoroughness and care of the old craftsmen, is given a more solemn feeling with Silver Wood Classico by L’Antic Colonial.This travertine collection brings the majesty of Greco-Roman architecture to BookWood making it a true temple to literature.
Krion™ makes the original white of the stone brighter. Although the PORCELANOSA Group’s compact mineral is the same colour as travertine, its backlit composition, its resistance to high and low temperatures, zero porosity and hygienic properties (it does not allow mould or bacteria to proliferate) make it ideal for durable, permanent installations (in this case, the façade and the main shelves).
The ongoing dialogue between past and present can also be seen in the bathrooms, where the XLight Liem Grey collection by Urbatek transfers the brilliance of Marquina black marble to porcelain.
The Lounge taps by designer Simone Micheli for Noken, the NK Concept toilets and the Forma Square washbasin take us on a journey through the history of design, from Ancient Rome to modernity.
History is alive in books.
