New interior design KunstGoud
06/01/2011 Architecture, Design 3D, Furniture
It was only 3 years ago that I designed and produced the interior for KunstGoud, the goldsmith studio/jewelry shop of Jeannette Knigge in Deventer. Some time ago she suddenly got the opportunity to expand, thus tripling(!) the total amount of workspace. To achieve this, there were some walls that needed knocking down. Some extensive reconstruction was necessary too, because the extra space (located behind the original one) was in real bad shape.
A new interior design was also needed to make the newly created space function as a whole again. This time I worked together with interior architect Kasper Spormann on the design, a very pleasant collaboration!
In our new design we pursued an equal mix between the tightness of a jewelry shop, the roughness of a workshop and a pleasurable environment to design custom jewelry with clients and give courses to students. The majority of extra space created in this expansion is utilised for more workbenches. KunstGoud now has room for more students (a grand total of 10) to attend her thriving goldsmith courses and workshops.
Because the budget was tight, we salvaged and re-used anything we could from the original interior. Another challenging aspect was the long, long shape of the extended space. We needed an attention-grabber in the back to draw customers all the way in…
We constructed walls around the workbenches to avoid clutter and unify the interior. Makes it look tight. This first segment mainly functions as the shop/studio with displays, cash register and Jeannette’s own workbench (with spraypainted KunstGoud logo). This workbench (and Jeannette) is the first thing you see when you enter.
The display cabinets I had already designed and produced for the previous interior have proven to be considered a beautiful eyecatcher and a functional display, so there was no question we had to re-use them in the new design.
Walking into the second segment we now find an abundance of walled workbenches. All of which were custom made by Jeannette and me. The floor doesn’t look great, but there was no budget for a new floor and these tiles function quite well as a workfloor. The straight path between the workbenches directs the customer’s attention to the (day)light and colour accents in the back.
We decided on orange as the only signal colour in the KunstGoud interior (mainly based on the availablity of suitable second hand orange chairs). The orange patch (on the floor and toilet wall/door) defines the area and lures customers further inside.
Kasper Spormann designed the large round table and lamp. The tabletop is custom made by Dewever & Zwart. The lamp is custom made by Kasper and me. It is a good place to e.g. speak/design with clients or have lunch with workshop students. The patio/garden outside is going to be addressed later on, which is definitely worth it.
The new interior was officially opened by the mayor of Deventer.