26 July,2011 07:04 AM IST | | Sharin Bhatti
A newly opened, closet-sized, cloaked store in Colaba, Art & Design Bookstore, stacks a rare collection of books on architecture, products, advertising, photography that are sure to become coffee-table collectibles
The much-delayed and hyped bookshop, Art & Design Bookstore, has finally opened in one of the many cubby holes of Colaba Causeway. Situated on the first floor of an old, colonial building, looking for the quaint shop was like following a trail of breadcrumbs. All along the road, starting from Regal Cinema to the doorstep of the store, a series of posters, banners and flyers announce its grand opening. The anticipation created by the poster-escort left us feeling excited and in no time, we were climbing the stairwell to the store.
The Art & Design Bookstore is situated in a 350 square feet area and is
well-stocked with volumes on architecture, design and more
The unassuming, closet-sized shop covers a 350 square feet area in a monotone of black walls, ceiling and flooring. Shelves of books are stacked on the walls of the tiny room. All books on sale are collector's editions in hard cover and paperback on every topic related to art and design - architecture, product, photography, car, humane, artistic, interiors, landscape, graphic, animation, fashion, design and even aviation. Rare collections such as Danish author Christien Meindertsma's limited edition PIG 05049 based on products made from a single pig and a monograph on the work of reclusive English artist Simon Lewty, The Self as a Stranger, expect you to spend more time browsing the detailed collection at leisure. What's more the ceiling is like a minefield of spot lights, which make sure each book on the shelves is highlighted at all times.
Conceptual architect Pranav Upasani, started the store in order to fill the gap that most bookstores around the city had created with an under-stocked section on art and design. It took him a while to get the publishers to agree to sell to a small market like India, but the wait seems to be worthwhile. Though the store is still to stock to capacity, more additions are expected soon. Posters of works by French architect Le Corbusier - planner of two Indian cities - Chandigarh and Pondicherry - will be framed and put on display. The store also houses a small selection of Moleskine notebooks, which priced at Rs 895 seem a tad too expensive. A small selection of books on car design also caught out fancy. If you've wondered about the history of Ferrari and Rolls Royce, this is the place to stop by and learn. They also stock a wide range of popular and underground architecture digests - including Wallpaper, Azure, Icon, Conditions and many more.
There are plenty of hard covers on the works of architects and designers like Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava and Richard Meier.u00a0 Besides, an interesting book on Islamic calligraphy finds itself in a neat display. In the Fashion section, there is much to pick on the lives and works of designers like Emilio Pucci and Georgio Armani.
