interior space commentary

We are invited by illustrator Ikey Poon and publisher Rolling Books to joined a documentary project on recording Hong Kong and Macau’s independent bookstores from 2022 -2023. Written in Chinese, author Ikey Poon put together a series of interviews with bookstore owners and illustrations to record their unique shop design and collections displayed in the shop. Upon each chapter, Room 23 contributed on bookstore interior space commentary from a designer’s perspective. Almost like a travel guide, this book allows reader to trace these independent bookstores with a stamp collecting card.

Funded by the Hong Kong Design Trust, 《獨立書店似顏繪》was published in January 2024.

book synopsis:

《獨立書店似顏繪》簡介

城市瞬息萬變，多美麗的風景也可能消失於一夕之間。

此刻我們還有獨立書店，佇候於城中一隅，但你有好好「看見」它們嗎？

獨立書店從選書、陳列方式到整個空間所呈現的氛圍，皆有別於大型連鎖書店。店長的個性則決定了書店的風格，築構著美麗而百變的人文風景。《獨立書店似顏繪》糅合手繪俯瞰圖、實習經驗、店長訪談，圖文並茂，帶大家從多角度「透視」10 家港澳小書店，以小小空間所蘊含的巧思，創造出一幅幅獨一無二的「似顏繪」。

這本書不只是書店紀實，也是重要的時代印記。