My website as a bookshop, gallery or flower shop

In a conversation with my mom about my website’s redesign and the creation of this “garden”, I compared it to a book store that has chairs to sit and read and that has a book club, to explain it as a space that is alive. In this text, I expand this idea and add two more examples. I like to use these metaphors to envision how I want this website to be, feel and evolve.

A bookshop

If my website was a bookshop, I imagine it would have repurposed wood shelves with handwritten labels. It would have comfortable armchairs with thrifted lamps next to them. The store would have a coffee machine and a kettle for tea, for customers to serve themselves. Every Friday, the store would have a book club meetup in the backroom. The place would have a soft, paper smell mixed with the smell of dried flowers.

A studio-gallery

If my website was a painter’s gallery, I envision it as a mix between a gallery and a studio, that’s open to the public at certain times. People could look at the art on the walls, but also at the sketches and studies on a table or the paintings that are halfway done. You could see the process of creation in the very space, apart from the finished paintings. And you could ask the painter about their process or inspiration for a piece.

A plant and flower shop

If my website was a plant and flower shop, it would have a backyard where they grow flowers in, with a space for a couple tables and a shelf on a wall with some books, next to a bird that sings. The owner would offer you self-made cookies. The flowers are wrapped with the newspapers from last week or repurposed fabric. Also, of course, the flowers smell great, and the owner would give you tips on planting, watering and taking care of your plants and flowers.

What all these place have in common is that they’re alive and reflect passion. They invite people to stay, be curious and explore the space and its things. And they show, without even trying, the passion that the owner has for their space, its things, as well as their desire to share it with others.

And the thing is, that when a person looks specifically for a book, a painting or a flower bouquet, they’ll find what they need in those places. But also, if a person just happens to stumble upon one of these shops, they’ll feel invited and curious and might enter and hang around for a while, while being comfortable and cozy.

That’s how I want my website to be and feel, too.