Although 'stage' is a big word for books on the shelf, we use this word, as we want to give our carefully selected books the space they deserve.
"Zeit – Wert – Raum: Wie Bücher Wert schaffen" (Time – Value – Space: How Books Create Value), a text by Stephanie Wissmann, who planted the seed of our literature concept in our minds.
"Things that are desired are actually stories masquerading as objects.," said Mario Pricken, who investigated what makes products and places valuable. Objects become valuable when they have a fascinating and unique biography. When a story can be told about them. An antique car becomes an even more coveted collector's item if it is a special model, or if the founder designed the car himself, ,or of the car participated in a special race. The car still remains a car, but the story that can be told about it makes it something special.
Books are found in many hotels. The Bible on the nightstand is part of the standard repertoire, and often you can find all the works that guests have left behind after reading, in a corner of the house. Sometimes even a large stack of coffee table books has been purchased, reporting on the most beautiful beaches in the Maldives to the tea houses in Japan and placed next to the fireplace to evoke a touch of grandeur.
But you won't find that special feeling, that value there. That only arises if something has been done with great care and a love for detail. "The details are not the details. The details are the design," famous designer Charles Eames described it.
'Time – Value – Space' is the theme at Hotel Stäfeli. Books can be found here in various places. Always at suiting the space and perfectly tailored to the location. In the hallway and corridor, it's a book to hold in your hand. A small format, easy to slip into your pocket. In the ZeitRaum, the books are sorted by mood. Behind almost every one of them is a story. And because of that, the guest sees the hotel with different eyes. Anyone who has flipped through the books of fabric designer Tricia Guild will pull the curtain fabric aside differently in the morning. They will notice the patterns, the shapes and give it more value.
Stäfeli is a place with character, because of the people who live and work here. It is this type of hospitality, personal and heartfelt, that can also be found in the books. They are just as carefully chosen. Like tailor-made for the occasion and space. The books are tied to the places. That makes them more precious. The place more valuable. And the stay memorable.
Why is a book lying there? Because someone thought that exactly there would be a good place for one to be, to tell you a story.
