This entrepreneur wants you to take a break.
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Adytum founder Renee Douros, the woman behind businesses such as The Floral Society and The Sugar Deli, is launching a pop-up library space in Braddon, designed to be a place of reflection and intellectual wellness.
While Adytum sells incense, body oils and bath soaks, for Douros, wellness was not skin deep, with this new space dedicated to intellectual wellness.
"Reading and the process of expanding the mind assists in broadening the imagination and enhancing the wellbeing of the individual, intentionally turning yourself toward an inner-world that is not crowded with the modern technologies that assault our consciousness," she said.
"This is a luxury that I feel is a very important part of taking care of yourself and is something that we hope to explore with our semi-permanent ode to the written word."
The library will feature a curated collection of books, focusing on art architecture and design.
Adytum library will host visual art exhibitions, including the works of photographer Traianos Pakioufakis, ceramicist Alana Wilson and local florist, Laurel + Lace.
Adytum library takes inspiration from the Third Place philosophy of sociologist Ray Oldenburg.
"[The Third Space philosophy] suggests that the 'first place' is your home, the 'second place' is work and the 'third place' is the moments and spaces in between the two," Douros said.
While Douros had a fascination with the metaphysical, she also drew inspiration from the physical world.
She previously studied architecture and comes from a family of builders, lending her a fascination with places.
She also emphasised the importance of books as objects, and lamented how libraries were no longer a sanctuary for for the mind, but another place of work.
"Libraries have changed in recent years," she said.
"They now assume the guise of public communication hubs with a big focus on digital technologies - books in these environments sometimes seem like an after-thought."
Douros believed creating spaces for reflection away from home and work was vital as we recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A lot of people are now working from home, living at home, having relationships at home, kids are now at home, so the home is now everything as opposed to being able to leave home," she said.
"Our offering and message is quite timely ... we're encouraging people to create moments of repose and ritual in the home to break up the monotony of being at home."
While this space will only run for just over three months, there's plans in the works to establish a permanent space in Braddon, the Adytum urban "sanctum" in 2021.
- The Adytum library will run from on September 8 until December 20, at G13/27 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. To borrow from the library, Adytum offers memberships at $10 per month.