USINE, LE PLUS GRAND CAFE DU MONDE
“In 2009 our team transformed the ground floor of the former Philips light tower, a monumental building in Eindhoven that once functioned as a light-bulb factory, into Grand Cafe Usine. We based the project on a brief that asked for a coherent concept that would appeal to a broad target group: a plan that would unite food, service, graphic language and interior design into a pleasing and exciting entity. We drew inspiration for the venue from a vintage Philips poster announcing ‘Philips, le plus grand usine du monde’, meaning the largest factory in the world or the people’s factory and came up with the name Usine, le plus grand café du monde. An expansive entrance area underpins the existing architectural language and heightens the atmosphere of grandeur and spaciousness. While selecting materials and developing details, we took great pains to ensure that their contemporary interior would be a seamless match for the traditional architecture and familiair features of the building. The way in which the design melds old and new creates an ambiance worthy of a venerable establishment hallowed by time.”