Juwelier

A jewellery shop in the centre of Arnhem, designed by the Brussels- based architecture firm Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen, possesses spatial qualities that are formally derived from the objects for sale. Covering a surface of only 20 m2, the shop radiates the innate quality and refinement symbolised by the jewels themselves. Yet the architects achieved this effect via the most basic of materials, including plywood panels for wall coverings, side-lit integral glass shelving and pieces of leather for the flooring. The wooden, dark-blue stained panels are designed as shutters and contain diamond-shaped holes in the shop window, or concealed shelves built into the walls. The literality of the diamond shape is far from kitsch and is well integrated within the space.

Without making any grand gestures, Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen have succeeded in turning a tiny commercial space into a piece of silent architecture.

- Asli çiçek. This text has been published in the Architecture Review Flanders N°11. Embedded Architecture.