Scandinavian influence meets minimalist design at 1OR2 Café, a collaboration between Norm Architects and Netherlands based interior styling and concept studio, April and May.
Opened in September 2014, the café is located in the First or Second concept store in Alkmaar, Holland, and is the perfect pit stop for weary shoppers weary after perusing the store filled with a mixture of pieces from Scandinavian and Dutch designers.
Proving that two heads are better than one, the 1OR2 café is a lesson in successful collaboration. Here Norm Architects have designed the elegant structure of the cafe while the visual merchandising and styling has been undertaken by April and May duo, Jantine Vaartjes and Vivian Hoebe using pieces from the MENU collection of Norm Architects designed products
Designed as an open structure with whitewashed walls, ceilings and floors that are in keeping with the rest of the retail store, the overall sense of cool and calm in both the store and the cafe reflects an influence of both Japanese and Scandinavian cultures, giving the term “retail therapy” a renewed meaning in a very literal sense.
Photography: Wendy van Woudenberg (Beeldsteil)
