A Tokyo pop-up has taken the Starbucks retail store concept to a futuristic, minimalist place. Inspired by coffee-lovers’ penchant for reading while sipping, Japanese design studio Nendo created a “Starbucks Espresso Journey” pop-up that looks, on the surface, like a monochromatic library — until you notice the rows of tumblers and the subtle take on Starbucks’ wordless logo. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves comprised the curved interior walls as customers perused custom-made books in nine different hues, each about a different type of espresso drink – lattes, cappuccinos or café mochas.

The shop was installed in September in the Omotesando neighborhood and open for three weeks. Visitors were invited to choose a book, take it to the counter and trade it for an espresso drink. They could also keep the book cover to insert into one of Starbucks’ customizable tumblers.

“The ‘library’ invites visitors to choose an espresso drink as they would a book, and verse themselves in espresso drinks as though quietly entering into a fictional world,” comments Nendo’s Oki Sato. “Books and coffee are both important parts of everyday life, so we created a link between favorite books and favorite coffees.”