Het Volkscafé
Master Thesis, Bruges - 2016
Research thesis on what makes an interior space authentic. Resulted in a collection of chairs designed to characterise some of the regular visitors of the ‘brown’ Flemish bar ‘Het Staelyzer’ in Bruges.
Portrayed are Hendrik, Nelly and Christian.
Images © Frédérique Windels, 2023.
Christian↓
“The hook in front is technically for his dog but it actually only serves as a conversation starter because his dog is too dangerous to come to the bar with him.”
Nelly↓
“The grip holds a thermometer since every time she starts a conversation, it’s about the weather.”
Hendrik↓
“Let’s just say Hendrik has definitely mastered the art of eavesdropping - silently listening to everyone’s stories from behind his newspaper. That’s why I designed his chair with a pair of curtain shields as the main focus.”
Stories behind the chairs
Christian
Middle aged ex-high school teacher with a bit of a gambling problem. Christian is Belgian but “feels French half of the time” as he taught French in school and owned a house in France. He paid for the house with a great gambling win, however had to sell it to pay off new gambling debts. I liked the double identity ‘crisis’ he had going on so I made his chair with a double seat. There’s a newspaper holder because that’s where he checks his weekly gambling results. The box is to keep the coins he uses to play on the gaming machine. The hook in front is technically for his dog but it actually only serves as a conversation starter because his dog is too dangerous to come with him to the bar. This is actually how I met Christian, telling him that a dog in a garden nearby scared the living hell out of me. Turned out it was his dog.
Nelly
Senior woman who smokes like a chimney and enjoys small talk. Altering between greeting/talking to everyone separately and going outside for sigaret breaks, Nelly doesn’t really sit down. Her chair is equipped with wheels and a handy cane for her to navigate easier through the café. The grip holds a thermometer, since every time she starts a conversation, it’s about the weather. Additional features are an ashtray and a place to hold her diary. The diary is to write down important things which she’ll otherwise forget. It’s connected to the chair with a chain because she loses stuff easily.
Hendrik
Retired private banker who collects Flemish art. Having recently lost his wife, coming to the bar to read his newspaper has become a daily activity. I found him sitting in the back corner of the space holding his paper so far up you could barely see his face. We talked and soon I got invited for a tour of the painting collection at his house. To my surprise what we most talked about wasn’t the art, but the very detailed lives of the regular visitors at the bar. Let’s just say Hendrik has definitely mastered the art of eavesdropping - silently listening to everyone’s stories from behind his newspaper. That’s why I designed his chair with a pair of curtain shields as the main focus.
