De Witt in Dordrecht by Studio Modijefsky

It’s often not a single moment of revelation that leads to the burst of excitement and inspiration so often brought on by good design, but rather, a collective of moments and measures that have been orchestrated so clearly and strategically that together, they simply sing. All it took for the team at Studio Modijefsky was 1,115 square metres and a rich history behind those metres squared. Lights, camera, action—and you have De Witt, a cinema-slash-brasserie that means “dinner and movie” has never been easier.

Hitting the history-trifecta, the building premiered as a convent, school and laboratory before transforming into the cinema that it is today, with visual cues hinting at its past very cleverly cut into the old-school glamour traditionally associated with cinemas, bringing De Witt to life. References to the convent can be seen in the homage to the cloister-like walkways, whilst nods to the nun’s headwear or; ‘wimples’ can be seen in the architecture of the shapes and frames repeated throughout the space.

Perhaps the most striking of the references, the arches of the custom LED pendants repeated throughout the space, act as an extension of the cloister-like architecture, found both inside and out. The class-like school benches bolstering the vermillion and berry banquettes take you back to school, whilst the tiled walls and test-tube-like light fittings reference the laboratory it once was.

A sense of civic pride comes about in Studio Modijefsky’s special curation of the Dutch ‘Dordtse kleuren’, the historic colours of Dordrecht, the city in which De Witt screens its films. These hues of blue, brick and beige are swatched throughout the space, tied together perfectly by the chequered chessboard floor tiles. These timber tiles start the conversation with the wobbly wooden bar, displayed in a blue stain that draws you back to the curtains behind it, softening the space and cooling it down alongside the classic brasserie zinc bar top and glassware displayed on the back walls.

The wobbled profile can be seen across the brasserie, at the concierge desk as well as in the drop of the various blue, brown and beige curtains hung throughout, once again speaking to that old-school glamour of the silver screen. The tiles feature again, but this time in a marbled salmon colour, drawing together the vermillion and coral-coloured curtains and furniture pieces, as well as the warmth of the double-grained central bar.

De Witt is a multi-layered space, a palimpsest of textures and tones that converse so effortlessly across uses that the distinction between hospitality and Hollywood, although clear, is hardly felt and instead, cinema-goers are left with a space in which hours can be spent with family, friends and future lovers alike.