Amsterdam sees the dawn of a Starbucks brand reinvention that will span across Europe, conducted by Dutch-born concept design director, Liz Muller. The coffee giant has opened up several individualized concept stores recently, in various cities throughout the world, like the store made from shipping containers just outside of Seattle.
In a departure from the typical homey look we have become accustomed to, the concept store, which is located in the former vault of a historic bank on Rembrandtplein, will be a place of sustainable interior design made from a combination of recycled and local materials; the benches, tables, and the fascinating ceiling art consisting of 1,876 pieces of individually sawn wooden blocks, is repurposed Dutch oak, and the walls are lined with wooden gingerbread molds, bicycle inner tubes, and antique Delft tiles.
Approximately 35 artists and craftsmen were commissioned to add creative touches to the 4,500-square-foot multilevel space, known as "The Bank", and the design shows a level of respect towards the history of the borrowed architecture, retaining a number of the building's original features, including exposed concrete from the vault itself, and the banks 1920s marble floor; yet the store's finished look is almost theatrical, with the baristas situated at viewable points from all around the multi-tiered space, and doubling as stages for cultural events such as poetry readings and performances by local bands.
