Our library A literature concept by stepanini*

A literature concept by stepanini* The idea

Locations
In eight locations throughout the Stäfeli – Relais du Silence – you will find different books and magazines, chosen to suit the location and the reading context.

Books
Instead of being selected from common bestseller lists, the books provided at our Stäfeli are special, thoughtfully chosen literary works.

Staging
“Staging” may seem a big word for books arranged on a shelf. However, since our books are presented as carefully as they are chosen, they get the space and attention they deserve.
Why?

Time – Value – Space: “How books Create Value“ (written by Stephanie Wissmann)

“Coveted things are actually stories that are intrinsically linked with them”, said Mario Pricken, who studied where objects and places draw their value from. Items become valuable when having a fascinating and unique biography, hence when embodying an interesting story. A vintage car is an even more coveted collectible, if it was a unique car, designed by the founder of the automobile firm himself or used in a famous race. A car remains a car. However, the stories which surround it make it something special.

Books can be found in many hotels. The bible on the nightstand has become a standard equipment and somewhere in a corner all the books left back by the guests may have been accumulated. Other hotels may have acquired a pile of illustrated books, showing the most beautiful beaches in the Maldives or the Japanese Tea Houses, placed beside the fireplace to provide a touch of grandeur.

Obviously, this is not an appropriate way to create something special and valuable. The value of things depends on thoughtfulness and attention for detail. The famous designer Charles Eames put it this way: “The details are not the details. The details are the design“.

At Stäfeli it’s all about “Time – Value – Space”. Books can be found here in various locations throughout the hotel, with the literary works always being chosen to suit the place. In the hallway it is a handy book in pocket format to be taken away easily. In the “ZeitRaum”, the literature is sorted according to the atmosphere conveyed by the books. With almost every book being linked to a personal story, the guest may be induced to look at the hotel through a different prism. Having flicked through the pages of the book of Tricia Guild, a textile designer, the guest will pull back the curtains in the morning more consciously, with more attention to fabrics and colour patterns. This means actually that the value of the object is enhanced.

The Stäfeli Hotel is a distinctive place thanks to the people who live and work therein. The books are chosen to reflect the hospitality, the personal services and the warm welcome as well as to fit well in a certain place. With the books being assigned to a determined location, the value of the literature works and the site is enhanced. This in turn makes the reading experience more enjoyable. Why is this book lying here? Because someone has thoughtfully put it there considering that its story suits the place.

Got to the Literature sites