Posed with the brief of designing a new coffee shop that has immediate visual impact, and respects their ambitions to build an “espresso empire” – New York agency, nemaworkshop, turned convention in its head, well, more like on its side. Inspired by the espresso bar’s proximity to the New York Public Library in Bryant Park, the team of interior designers and architects opted for a simple, yet visually arresting and utterly unique approach – giving the space the illusion of a sideways library. Custom tiles, with full-sized, sepia-toned books printed onto them, create the illusion, along with pendent lights that come from the walls and a wall clad in rich brown herringbone that gives the impression of a parquet flooring. Dramatic, devilishly individual and remarkably memorable, D’Espresso‘s Madison Ave outpost is a promising start for their impending empire…