‘The Kitchen’ De Bijenkorf

The project concerns ‘The Kitchen’ restaurant in De Bijenkorf (part of Selfridges Group), a high quality department store in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The challenge was to create an environment that was made for heavy use, whilst still keeping quality in sharp details and natural materials. Throughout the 850m2 open area, a variety of seating from private and cosy to more open and bright dining areas offers customers a choice in the way they would like to sit, eat, drink or work. Different atmospheres are created in contrasting materials and colours with a mix from rough to luxe. Fresh food from the kitchen is visible throughout the restaurant, as all partitions are made from transparent coloured glass cabinets. The open kitchen area in the centre of the restaurant is visible from the exterior, seducing customers to wander inwards the restaurant. A triangular shaped open seating area next to the glass facade offers a diversity of furniture in black and natural wood in combination with a large lively green wall. The rough oak wood and plants are in contrast with the sharp glass partitions and all white ceilings. Brass details in lighting fixtures and flooring are matching to the yellow glass partitions. Fabrics are developed in custom colours to match within the overall material palette. Inspired by the company name De Bijenkorf (beehive) and its hexagon shaped logo referring to a honeycomb, the design uses a lively pattern of black hexagon tiles which seem to ‘swarm’ over the light flooring, bar and counter fronts. The final result is an interior that mirrors the brand identity of the store itself, with quality, luxury and creativity.

i29 interior architects