London's Most Beautiful Bookstore - Remodelista
Unless otherwise noted, photography by Dennis Gilbert/View. In 2009, literary agents Sarah Lutyens and Felicity Rubinstein opened their Notting Hill bookshop (named after their eponymous literary agency, Lutyens & Rubinstein) on a simple premise: to recreate the magic they remembered from the bookshops of their childhoods. Lutyens & Rubinstein is on Kensington Park Road in London's Notting Hill. "The design of the shop reflects the characters of its owners, Sarah Lutyens and Felicity Rubinstein," say the architects De Rosee Sa. Photograph on right by Tif Loehnis. Sculptures by Container Plus, made from the pages of old books, decorate the ceiling. The architects designed innovative custom lighting that was less expensive than off-the-shelf lighting. Photograph by Container Plus. "The bookshop has been designed for complete flexibility; joinery cubes on castors allow for the rearrangement of the counter, while shelving modules have the ability to be transformed from seating alcoves to three different book display arrangements," say the architects. A high level steel rail supports the modular globe lighting. Photograph by Tif Loehnis. Lutyens & Rubinstein also stock "other necessities," such as Lutyens & Rubinstein canvas tote bags produced by Re-wrap and local honey made by Rubinstein's husband. The book sculptures and bespoke globe lights draw the eye upwards from below. Downstairs, sliding bookshelves conceal the office of the literary agency, Lutyens & Rubinstein. A book sculpture made from an old book by Container Plus shares shelf space with new books. Photograph by Tif Loehnis. Lutyens & Rubinstein also stock CB Perfume inspired by novels, poems and libraries from the Brooklyn-based, award-winning former cab driver Christopher Brosius... ...who hated the synthetic lingering perfumes left by passengers in his cab so much that he was compelled to develop one of the most unusual ranges of scent in the world.