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Architects: Daniel O'Kelly, Marc Prosman Architecten: Marc Prosman Architecten and Daniel O’Kelly (Tommy Hilfiger)
- Area: 820 m²
- Year: 2009
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Photographs: Jeroen Musch
Text description provided by the architects. The first floors of the Atlanta building, designed by F. A. Warners in 1925, were recently refurbished and renovated. The result is an extension of Tommy Hilfiger's European headquarters with a new restaurant a bar. Peoples Place will be used for pre-sale events and meetings for both staff, guests and business customers. The design collaboration between Marc Prosman Architecten and Daniel O'Kelly of Tommy Hilfiger was intended to exude an ambiance referring to the atmosphere of a dining experience in America from the 1950s.
Renovation and Refurbishment
The extra space is totally demolished, renovated and refurbished. The original mezzanine in sight returned. A spacious atrium provides greater access of light and provides the necessary height of the intervening space, the restaurant. At strategic places openings to the inner court are made in the back wall, diffused light flows inward. In order to create good acoustics and to avoid noise during club nights the entire back room is built as a box-in-box construction. The front part is decorated as the lobby and bar; a diversity of furniture offers employees the opportunity to have lunch or meetings. The mezzanine with billiard table and chairs serves as a lounge.
The street facade on the ground floor is completely renovated and the wooden canopy and shop window are brought back to its former glory. Previously the congested front permitted sparsely daylight flowing inside, the new display allows plenty of light deep into the building. Besides that the resorted glass front regenerates the contact between inside and outside. The display case and wooden sun canopy make the facade as a whole returned to its former glory. The bar area and restaurant are separated by frosted glass slide walls. Functions such as the open kitchen and dishwashing kitchen, and toilet facilities are stacked and placed on the right side of the restaurant.
Ambiance
The interior is the result of a close collaboration between marc prosman architects and, Art Director of Tommy Hilfiger. The North American fashion brand, wanted for his new concept Peoples Place an equally comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. Simultaneously the designers indented to create an interior that looks as if it has always been there and feels instantly familiar. Chosen for warm brown, green and gray tones and the use of natural materials and furniture items. The brick wall behind the bar is just like the original concrete supporting structure left in view. The walls around the restaurant are largely covered with curtains in ochre coloured velvet. The floor consists of the crosscut ends of used wood. The kitchens are tiled with glazed tiles in ivory colour.
Stylish interior
Together, Daniel O'Kelly and Marc Prosman Architects have developed a style that evokes the atmosphere of the paintings and Nighthawks (1942) in particular, of the American painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967). By night the wide shop window puts the interior in a glow, the light emitting curtains offer views on street life of the Stadhouderskade. The padded seats, bar with large glass buffet in the shape of the Tommy Hilfiger logo and curved windows refer to the characteristic structure of American hotels and dinners from the fifties of the last century.
The style idiom has been applied to many details in Peoples Place: the L-shaped wooden staircase with the twisted balustrade and the collection of original furniture and tables from the forties, fifties and sixties to mention a couple examples. The caisson ceiling in the area bear - partly to improve the acoustics - the stylistic brass fittings which together form the number 85, a reference to the founding year 1985 of Tommy Hilfiger.
Atlanta
Tommy Hilfiger Europe BV resides since the late eighties in the building "Atlanta" which is designed by the architect F. A. Warners (1888-1952) in 1925 for the American car company REO Motor Company. The ground floor was the showroom for the latest Chevrolets models. Above six office floors were to hire. On top of ‘Atlanta’ stands the tower that was crowned with two wings, the emblem of REO. Over the entire width of the building the glass front allows pedestrians and passers to peak into the car showroom (source: BONAS).
