{"id":970483,"date":"2026-05-19T07:04:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/970483\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T07:04:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T07:04:29","slug":"jetlag-books-new-shop-nods-to-soviet-style-supply-store-in-beijing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/970483\/","title":{"rendered":"Jetlag Books’ new shop nods to Soviet-style supply store in Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Promotion:<\/strong><\/a> bookshop<\/a> Jetlag Books has opened its latest store in Beijing<\/a>, designed by architecture firm Studio NOR as a nod to the historical context of its site. <\/p>\n

Situated along the city’s Chang’an Avenue, the Jetlag Books Friendship Store occupies the site of a former service building to the neighbouring Friendship Store complex \u2013 a supply store built in 1972.<\/p>\n

Studio NOR<\/a> drew on the Soviet-style facade and Bauhaus-informed volumes of the Friendship Store for its design.<\/p>\n

This included the preservation of rough plastered facades and the creation of large steel overhangs to frame its openings.<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorJetlag Books has opened a store in Beijing designed by Studio NOR<\/p>\n

“The two buildings present a sense of continuity and overall unity, yet they are also distinctly different,” Jetlag Books<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

“The design neither deliberately preserved every trace of decay to become a ‘time capsule’, nor did it ignore the remnants of the past and pursue ‘disruptive innovation’.”<\/p>\n

“Instead, it adopts an intermediate state that blends past stories into the present daily life, connecting building and street, brand and community, past and present,” it added.<\/p>\n

\"JetlagStudio NOR drew on the neighbouring Friendship Store for its design<\/p>\n

The 180-square-metre bookshop is organised on an L-shaped plan that combines a service building from the 1970s and a steel-structured building added in the 2010s.<\/p>\n

Studio NOR re-envisioned the existing steel structure as a “frontier” or “display window” at the store’s front, which is adorned with matching steel signage.<\/p>\n

Its single-storey volume is framed by a street-facing plaza, where outdoor seating is provided for visitors.<\/p>\n

\"JetlagLarge steel overhangs frame the bookstore’s openings<\/p>\n

Other interventions by the studio include the creation of a new facade defined by thick walls, deep-set windows, overhanging eaves and high parapets that reinterpret the neighbouring building.<\/p>\n

Across its facades, existing doors and windows were lowered to create “a more inviting and human-scale commercial street presence” and are framed by steel overhangs.<\/p>\n

“The design of the cantilevered steel overhangs above the doors and windows derived from the architects’ research on the original Friendship Store architecture and its ‘Soviet-style’ contemporaries,” Jetlag Books explained.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorThe interior is arranged around an 8.5-metre-long bar<\/p>\n

Inside, the bookshop has been arranged around an 8.5-metre-long bar, which stitches together a book display area at one end of the space and a multi-functional area at the other.<\/p>\n

Modular stainless steel bookshelves showcase Jetlag Books’ travel-themed collection and are set off by glazed wall tiles and matt-black flooring in the display area.<\/p>\n

At the back of the space, a three-step platform, designed to double as a temporary stage for events, has been created to provide access to a small storage room.<\/p>\n

\"DisplayStainless steel bookshelves are set off by black tiling<\/p>\n

Described by Jetlag Books as “the most visually dynamic space in the bookstore”, the central bar area has been wrapped in dark green and brown tiles.<\/p>\n

Above the bar, Studio NOR transformed an existing opening into a deep skylight that draws daylight into the space.<\/p>\n

Steps added to either side of the counter account for differences in floor level across the site, while also distinguishing the bookstore’s spaces.<\/p>\n

\"JetlagA multi-functional area can be used for exhibitions and events<\/p>\n

At the bookshop’s northern end, the multi-functional area serves as a seating area for the cafe. Moveable furniture allows the space to be used for exhibitions, events, and pop-up activities.<\/p>\n

Suspended ceilings expose the building’s steel and concrete roofs, which have been paired with grey-toned concrete walls and terrazzo floors to echo the neighbouring Friendship Store.<\/p>\n

The Jetlag Books Friendship Store by Studio NOR is the latest bookshop of Jetlag Books, which was founded in 2020 by designer Li Guanru and editor Lian Ziqiang.<\/p>\n

The design team also included Boyuan Jiang, Jingwen Wang, Shuo Yang, Jin Gan, Yichen Jin, and Chenxiao Yan.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Jetlag Books Friendship Store, visit its Instagram here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Songkai Liu<\/a><\/p>\n

Partnership content<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article was written by Dezeen for Jetlag Books<\/a> as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here<\/a>.<\/p>\n