The traditional bakery Vreugdenhil in Maasdijk (NL) focuses on quality and is growing organically – the space for this is created by an extension that interprets the values of the family business in a modern and appealing way. BÄRO lighting underlines the clear store concept

Maasdijk is located between Rotterdam and the Hook of Holland ferry port. Surrounded by pastures and greenhouses, it has retained its small-town character. People buy their bread from the local baker, and ever since 1923 this has been Bakkerij Vreugdenhil – a family business with around 20 employees today. However, the family's ambitions go far beyond the borders of Maasdijk – but always following the principle of quality before quantity. In 2016, the bakery won the title of "Best Bakery in the Netherlands". After a comprehensive redesign and expansion, the store now also lives up to this title. The new extension with its pointed gable and brick façade blends harmoniously into the townscape. Inside, the store is surprisingly spacious and the design has a creative take on tradition.

Light from a single source

Natural-coloured wood and white plastered walls dominate in the high-quality shop architecture with its extremely clear design. The effective lighting carefully tailored to the room and the products on display plays a key role here. BÄRO advised the owners and interior designers on the lighting design and supplied the entire lighting technology as a coherent overall package from a single source: from the tracks to surface-mounted and recessed spotlights and decorative lighting. The result is impressive and creates an atmosphere where customers are pleased to linger and an attractive, sales-promoting presentation of the bakery and confectionery products.

Owner Chris Vreugdenhil deliberately commissioned the design office King Kongs from Eindhoven as a design team with no experience of designing bakeries, but plenty of experience with restaurants and hotels – because he wanted the interior to keep its intimate atmosphere despite the 250 m² of sales space while having a unique look and surpassing usual standards.

The interior concept divides the salesroom into different departments, while maintaining its openness and allowing a view all the way to the production rooms. Due to the rural location, the entire design is aimed less at casual customers and more at those who come specifically to the bakery and also make larger purchases.

Unpretentious setting

The design of the new bakery reflects values such as quality and honesty. Unpretentious materials with natural colours and geometric, simple shapes have been perfectly crafted by local craftsmen: light and dark woods, a light grey stone floor with a nostalgic strip of tiles in front of the counters. The light and airy impression in the new bakery is created first and foremost by the high, open roof structure with visible beams that add a rustic touch. This contrasts with the white plastered walls that structure the salesroom. Fixtures and fittings featuring wooden slats create islands with a more intimate atmosphere for the bistro area and individual product offers – a setting with a simple design that makes the appetizing bakery and confectionery products look all the more attractive. Arched openings offer a view between the different areas such as the entrance, the bread counter, the confectionary department and the bistro area.

Differentiated light colours

BÄRO developed a suitable lighting concept that structures the room with clearly zoned light. In addition, the light colours were matched to the various product groups and uses. For example, fresh bread and bakery products on the shelves, counters and displays are illuminated with the special spectrally matched LED light colour GoldenBread which emphasises the gold and brown tones of these products. In the confectionery department, on the other hand, the light colour PearlWhite is used, which renders white tones neutrally and colours particularly richly and freshly.

In the remaining area, the planners used light colour 927, a warm white with excellent colour rendering that creates a pleasant atmosphere and invites people to linger. The luminaires fitted are directional spotlights and wallwashers from the new CX recessed luminaire series as well as track-mounted spotlights from the XR series. Thanks to the BÄRO product system with identical light colours or beam characteristics available across series, the planners were able to implement their approach across the board despite very different installation situations.

The design of the XR series spotlights fits seamlessly into the store concept, as do the decorative glass bulb pendant luminaires specified and supplied by BÄRO for the project. At the same time, the combination of efficient LED technology and intelligent luminaire positioning leads to connected wattages that guarantee permanently low operating costs. The owners were very satisfied with the result: they chose the right partner for their ambitious project to create a lighting balance that is individually tailored to the premises and the concept.