custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
all images courtesy of AftU

 

 

 

the ‘grandcafe sijthoff’ is an organic café located in the building of a former publishing house in leiden, the netherlands. to go with the general feel of the restaurant, designers at AftU (agent for the underused) were requested to build custom furnishings. they needed to be flexible to changing everyday needs, and in the world of hip coffee spots — reclaimed wood and flea market finds were the obvious choices.

interior furnishings grandcafe sijthoff AftU designboom
burned table markings 

 

 

 

AftU started by sourcing various agricultural items (esp. vegetable crates) that were beyond restoration to farmers. once adapted to serve new purposes, the local flea markets were skimmed for needed parts. tables, made of said boxes, stand on the legs of curated second hand tables and similar items. the surfaces’ rigidity serves as a playful comparison with the often intricate bases, and gives each one a unique character.

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close up of bench in front room

 

 

 

like the table tops, the bar and long bench/couch were created with repurposed boxes. they follow the basic principles of palette construction, in which the material acts as cladding and structure simultaneously. AftU’s use of countryside-sourced elements reflects the ambience of ‘grandcafe sijthoff’ well, and was conducted in a way cohesive to the purity of the all-organic menu

interior furnishings grandcafe sijthoff AftU designboom
street-side window  

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built elements 

interior furnishings grandcafe sijthoff AftU designboom
table legs were curated from local flea markets

custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
sneak peak of main dining room 

custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
large dining room table 

custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
sofa detail

custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
back room dining table 

interior furnishings grandcafe sijthoff AftU designboom
top view of bench in the back room

custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU
floor plan

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: nick brink | designboom