Creating The Tiny Literary Coffee Shop: My First Booknook

The background is a page from a book about teaching how to paint with gouache!

So, I just finished my first miniature project—The Tiny Literary Coffee Shop—and it might be one of my favorite things I’ve ever made. The idea actually came from my sister, who’s always talked about opening a cozy little bookstore one day, where people could buy used books and sip coffee. So I decided to bring a small version of that to life, since that's all that fits in my current budget... 

Let's jump into it!

The Planning

When I started planning, I wanted it to feel like one of those old places you find tucked away, a little mysterious and timeless. I was heavily inspired by the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, in Paris, one of my favorite places that... I've never visited. I also browsed Pinterest for many storefront ideas, and ended up choosing this deep green shade to paint the outside and I added a white brickwall as well.

My sister made me read all Emily Henry's books, so I had to pay a tribute to her!

I worked out a few sketches first, on a notebook. I didn’t want anything too fancy, just enough to see the layout and get a feel for how everything would fit. Once I had it, I could imagine how it would all look: dark wood flooring, various shelves filled with books, some wall paneling to give this dark academia feel. It all just started coming together in my head from there.

This is only one of the many sketches I made, I changed many things along the way.

In the end, the final result turned out quite different from my original idea. Initially, I had imagined a full café setup with a counter displaying handmade pastries (made with air-dry clay), a "marble" counter with a sink, and even a tiny coffee machine. But as I worked, I realized the space was far too limited, and I wasn’t ready to tackle crafting so many different and difficult things myself so soon.

So, instead of the café details I first pictured, I decided to shift my focus and create just a cozy bookshop feel. Even without the café touches, I’m happy with how it turned out—it has this warm, inviting vibe, just in a simpler way than I originally planned.

The wallpaper was made on Canva and printed on avena paper. The rugs were also printed on a regular inkjet printer (for the future rugs I make, I want to test using transfer paper and fabric!).

The Materials

Shopping for the materials was probably the most challenging part, but also the most satisfying and fun part. I felt like I was back in my teens, buying school supplies before school started!

I made the main structure from 3mm MDF sheets. This thickness was a perfect balance—not too thin and flimsy, but not so thick that I couldn't cut it with a craft knife. For the size reference, I used a book nook my sister gifted me years ago, and I went with a 1:24 scale. This kept it compact enough not to take up much space but still large enough for me to manage the tiny details.

This sheet of cork was so thin and fragile that broke easily so many times.

For the storefront, I used cork cut into small rectangles with rounded corners, then painted it with white acrylic paint to give it a textured, rustic look. I experimented with several types of glue: Tek Bond's instant glue (a.k.a. gyanoacrylate), liquid silicone glue, a glue stick, regular white glue, and wood glue.

The Tek Bond held things together almost instantly—sometimes a little too instantly! I lost count of how many times I accidentally glued my fingers and one time I had to soak my hand in warm soapy water for nearly an hour to separate them from a piece of wood. The silicone glue worked well too, though it always leaves these thin strings (which I always think look like spiderwebs). The white and wood glues were slower to dry but forgiving enough to let me readjust the pieces as I went.

I also used fabric glue for the sofa and chair cushions, and for the seat and back of the armchair.

I bought balsa wood sheets on AliExpress, after seeing it being used a lot by many miniaturists I follow on YouTube. I also got a variety of small wooden sticks: popsicle sticks, barbecue skewers, bamboo sticks, waxing sticks, and Japanese toothpicks, along with thin strips of balsa wood. 

The balsa wood is the only (relatively) expensive thing here, but so worth it since it's so easy to use!

Some essential tools I used were: 

• a T-square ruler (at first I thought it was too small, but it’s actually perfect for tight spaces) or a regular metal ruler (if made of plastic, the ruler may end up being cut by the craft knife);

• a standard craft knife; 

• a precision knife (my lifesaver!);

• craft tweezers (a straight and an angled one);

• a cutting mat (it’s permanently messy now, but that’s part of its charm, I guess...);

• small pliers;

• a pair of scissors (one larger and one smaller, for details);

• paint (I used acrylic paint) and paint brushes;

• and the good old pair of pencil and eraser.

But my best investment was, without a doubt, the angled pliers! They made cutting tiny wood pieces so much easier and faster and, more importantly, kept my fingers safe! 

I also used a fine-tip nanking pen (to write in the miniature journal and other props).

For the lighting, I bought these tiny LED wall sconces on Aliexpress and ended up tucking the battery (not so) neatly into the staircase. I had to buy a soldering iron to connect the wires, and I still don't know if I did it well or not... Only time will tell! I also bought this battery holder box with an ON/Off switch, and used a lithium CR2016 battery.

After I discovered that the soldering iron has lead in its composition, I was scared to death of using it!

For the flowers (are they wisteria flowers? Lavander flowers? A completely new species? I don't know...) I used a car wash sponge block that I blended (yes, in my regular kitchen blender), until it became little pieces of shredded foam. I put these in a plastic bag, added the acrylic paint, and then rubbed the bag with my hands to spread the paint evenly. All was left was to let the paint dry and then glue the shredded pieces to a string in chunks.

I really had to exercise my patience here, because this foam flies everywhere even with a single breath.

The Results

The process of making this book nook wasn’t all smooth, by the way. At least three times I felt this urge to get rid of everything, but thankfully I didn't. It was like I was solving a puzzle, trying to get everything to fit just right, especially because the space was so tiny. The armchair, for instance, had to be redone 4 times since it barely fit in one of the corners, and getting the lighting to work took a few tries. But honestly, I felt so proud of myself for not giving up mid-way!

To wrap it all up, I couldn’t be happier with how The Tiny Literary Coffee Shop turned out. Seeing this little world come together was so rewarding, and the best part? My sister absolutely loved it! Her reaction made every struggle I had along the way worth it. Now I’m feeling even more inspired to dive into my next project!

I added this makeshift paper shade to the light sconce in a attempt to make the lighting warmer.

The book on the stool is Axie Oh's "The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea", another book my sister made me read, and you can actually read the first few pages of this miniature version.

A few Easter eggs: the journal on the writing desk was hand-sewn by me and features a (fictional) entry to Jane Austen's diary, retelling her visit to The Tiny Literary Coffee Shop.

This flower vase is made of a bead!

Another Easter egg: my sister loves BTS (Jin is her bias), so I made a fictional music festival that falls on her birthday.

Fun fact: a long time ago, my sister got me this tiny bag with miniature props, including this coffee cup! I added a gold rim with paint and tried adding silicone glue to make the coffee appear "wet".

I just love this painting by Ramon Casas! And the book club actually exists in real life (and yes, our next book discussion will be on Won-Pyung Sohn's book, "The Impulse"!)

The idea for this sign came straight from the Shakespeare & Company bookshop.

I made the ceiling using balsa wood strips!

If you've read this far, thank you so much! Let me know what you think about this booknook. Until next time! ~