Ma Nao Books goes underground

We moved last year, and most of the studio fixings remain in boxes. The book got in the way of home improvement, much less unpacking fully. At last I made the makeover, transforming a day-lit basement with brittle tile underfoot, tepid brown walls, and a dirty ceiling:

new studio for Ma Nao Books in Portland, Oregon (before)

into several hundred square feet of light-filled environs just awaiting occupants and their creativity.

Along with new flooring, lots of paint, and awesome curtains by my mom, the new studio for Ma Nao Books promises to present more fine editions, custom work, and bookbinding workshops—everything the old place had except the tango (and that practica relaunches next week, upstairs).

new, improved studio for Ma Nao Books (after)

Strike up the band—and the book press.