Piet Hein Eek’s Workshop

A former industrial building in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, is now the new home of furniture designer Piet Hein Eek. It houses his workshop, a showroom for his products and a restaurant well worth a visit. The 10,000 sqm space has been redesigned in such a way that it is a dream destination for anyone who loves art and furniture.

Although the building was considerably larger than Piet Hein Eek needed, he did not hesitate to choose it as the next “home” for his creations because, as he says, “my imagination was triggered automatically the moment I saw the space.”

“With a space this big, the possibilities are endless. For example, I wanted to create a dining room for visitors. But that could grow into a real restaurant. Then other ideas followed, such as a shop in addition to the showroom. And a workshop for new talent, in a specially designed space.”

Let’s take a tour of this unusual space through the photographs we found on trendland.net.

The workshop is the “heart” of the company, where more than 50 people work to produce Piet Hein Eek furniture and ship it all over the world. All the spaces are divided by glass walls and metal posts recycled from old buildings that were demolished.

Behind the kitchen are two long tables, used by Piet Hein Eek’s team for their lunch break but also available to groups of visitors. The fabric pendant lights above the tables are made from fabrics from the Paul Smith collection.

The restaurant is a mix of light fittings from old churches, furniture bought at auctions, and tables, chairs and lights from Piet’s own collection. The restaurant is run by Laura Weteling, wife of Nob Ruigrok, who is a member of Piet’s team.

The bar was built from recycled materials left over from the renovation of the building.

Photo 2: Another view of the furniture showroom.

Photo 2: Crystal light sculptures by Hans Van Bentem.

Photo 2: Melissa Peen wallpaper covers both the wall and the chest of drawers, creating a unified aesthetic effect. On top of the chest of drawers you can see a Copper light designed by Tom Dixon, a friend of Piet’s.