POLSPOTTEN's amsterdam space recreates heritage designs amid terracotta hues

s-p-a-c-e honors POLSPOTTEN legacy in new amsterdam space

What began in 1986 with Dutch entrepreneur Erik Pol importing Spanish terracotta pots to Amsterdam’s Herenstraat has evolved into a sought-after brand for furniture and accessories. From its early days, POLSPOTTEN has reflected the expressive and non-conformist character of the Dutch capital with its rebellious and colorful designs. Its brand-new space in Amsterdam, designed by local studio S-P-A-C-E, celebrates its history while giving visitors a sense of playful discovery. Invited to craft a meeting place for the internal and external community, the designers looked to the brand’s legacy of reinterpreting traditional techniques from Europe, Africa, and Asia, all while honoring their origins.

all images courtesy S-P-A-C-E

a collage of reimagined archetypes from africa, asia & europe

S-P-A-C-E (see more here) translated POLSPOTTEN’s mission – ‘add play to space’ – into a collage of reinterpreted archetypes. The dramatic angular entranceway, the meeting room ‘hut’, mosaics and more: each archetype has a historical precedent but adopts its own identity in the new design. Some of the archetypes echo iconic POLSPOTTEN products: an acoustic wall features ‘hieroglyphs’ of their silhouettes, key shapes are stacked into totems, and a bead curtain strings together the brand’s most iconic stool in miniature. The terracotta-inspired colors and materials refer to the brand’s first product, potten or ‘pots’.

giving visitors a sense of playful discovery inside the POLSPOTTEN brandspace

creating a flexible interior for clients and polspotten team

Replacing the brand’s previous office in Aalsmeer and store on Amsterdam’s KNSM Island, the new retail space brings everything under one roof and reflects new ways of working. Employees can work throughout the agile space, blending in with visitors and contributing to a relaxed, welcoming environment. A homelike coffee area with indoor and outdoor seating doubles as a flexwork spot and can even host events, workshops, and host home-styling advice sessions. With sustainability in mind, S-P-A-C-E reused as much of the existing interior as possible and opted for low-impact new additions: mono materials that are easier to recycle in the future, abundant natural materials like bamboo, and economical lighting. The POLSPOTTEN space also includes a repair station to promote a culture of conscious ownership.

the meeting room ‘hut’ by S-P-A-C-E