Architecture and design firm: Wutopia Lab, Shanghai

The details: St. Nicholas Church in Shanghai may no longer host a congregation, but that does not render it any less holy. As the newest outpost for Sinan Books, the historic building has been transformed into a sacred space for poetry lovers. Updating the nearly 90-year-old structure was easier said than done for the retailer’s frequent collaborator Wutopia Lab. “Given the fact that no existing façade, structural system, basic floorplan, [or] distinctive interior decoration of the building could be changed, we built a metal bookstore apart from the old walls, leaving a [20-inch] gap between them,” says Yu Ting, chief architect for the Shanghai-based firm. “That’s what ‘church-in-church’ means.”

St. Nicholas has undergone numerous refurbishments since 1932, inspiring the design team to strip away layers of paint to reveal the interior’s original splendor. Translucent lighting heightens the drama, while a former balcony has been reimagined as a golden pulpit. “As usual,” Ting says, “we tried to bring out the magic realism.”

This article originally appeared in HD’s  May 2020 issue.