Bijenkorf Den Haag

De Bijenkorf Cafe & Food retail concept
Concept, Design and Execution by KUUB
250 m²
Photography by Pascal Hielckert

KUUB was commissioned to design both the café and the food retail department for De Bijenkorf in The Hague as two separate assignments. This was a great opportunity because it allowed us to bring them together in a single design vision.

Smooth curve
We have seamlessly connected these two worlds with a 25-metre-long smooth 'curve' with functions in the volume and functions in the wall. The curve houses a scullery, the refrigerators and the backstage area. It also contains café functions such as the sink, the oven and the chocolate milk machine. It then flows into a wall with niches where the food retail products are displayed. The curve thus forms a spacious backdrop for the barista and the pastry chef, who themselves stand behind a long, rounded bar.

Stripping down and dressing up
Four solid columns have been stripped down and, above the panelling, stripped back to the original concrete with its original rounded corners, which fits seamlessly with the KUUB design. This has made the columns 20% slimmer, opening up the space to the rest of the space.
The winding wall and rounded bar are finished with super-fine ceramic white matt tiles measuring 5 by 5 by 5 mm (I Frammenti). The new walnut herringbone floor provides a warm, dark base for the white bar, columns and winding wall, but also clearly communicates that you are entering a different world here.