custom interior furnishings for grandcafe sijthoff by AftU

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.

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.

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. 

street-side window  

built elements 

table legs were curated from local flea markets

sneak peak of main dining room 

large dining room table 

sofa detail

back room dining table 

top view of bench in the back room

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.