The new midtown east location of D'Espresso looks like the perfect place to grab a coffee and browse for books, provided you bring your gravity boots. Inspired by the nearby New York Public Library at Bryant Park, design firm nemaworkshop envisioned a book-lined oasis, then turned the whole thing on its side, so that the bookshelves become the floor and ceilings. The herringbone-patterned oak "flooring" becomes a wall, and the lights on the "ceiling" protrude horizontally out from the wall behind the counter. We're through the rabbit hole, people.
Eugene Kagansky, the owner of D’Espresso, says he spent $500,000 on the 500-square-foot coffee shop on Madison Avenue and 42nd Street. He's planning on opening 10 more in Manhattan and other major cities, and tells the Times, "The next one will be upside down."
