Spotlight On Power And Money (Amsterdam) |
Friday, 21 November 2008 |
When the investment group All Capital wanted a power space for their
high-powered meetings in Amsterdam, they engaged two local creative
firms that had the right vision. Interior design firm i29 and architectural office Eckhardt en Leeuwenstein created meeting and lounge areas that are prestigious and opulent without being pretentious or stuffy.
Themed
around the playful concept of being under a spotlight, the spaces
feature gigantic, round, black lamp shades spray-painted gold inside.
These power lights appear to cast spot lights and create shadows
everywhere in the space. The fake ovals of light and shadow on the
floor, walls and furnishings are created by altering the colors and
textures of the finish.
The golden ovals also define specific areas and soften the angles of
the black-stained ash wood desks and cabinets. In addition, the gold
and silver ovals scattered about can be interpreted as coins —
highlighting the business of the client. All existing ornamentation and
detail of the building was painted white.
The All Capital boardrooms and lounge opened last month in the historic, 17th-century building, De Gouden Bocht located by one of the most famous canals of Amsterdam, the Herengracht (=Gentlemen`s Canal).
i29 was established in 2001 by Jaspar Jensen and Jeroen Dellensen.
Their style is characterized by a dramatic absence of extras or
gimmicks, and by frequent use of clear blocks of color and lots of
white. Their projects, mainly in Amsterdam, include schools, retail
shops, restaurants, hotels and private residences.
Architect
duo Rob Eckhardt and Goos Leeuwenstein has a long history of
distinctive projects from public spaces to restaurants, entertainment
venues and residences. They’ve created offices for Publicis, DDB and
Eigen Fabrikaat, film studios for Jurriaan Eindhoven, and interiors for
Restaurant Bordewijk. Eckhardt became known early in his career as a
furniture designer with the disco stool Dolores as his first success in
the early 1980s. He even operated a retail store that sold his
furniture, including the 1983 Groeten uit Holland chair and the 1982
Karel Doorman chaise lounge. - Tuija Seipell
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