Studio Modijefsky was commissioned to add an all-day brasserie to the three-screen cinema De Witt located in the heart of Dordrecht.

From the convent the iconic motifs are: the cloister (the secluded walkways that nuns use for meditations); the wimples (the head covering nuns wear); and the habits, the nuns’ clothing. The school’s presence is felt in the corridors, with tiled walls, windows looking into classrooms, bulletin boards and class benches. Chemistry sets represent the laboratory in the shape of test tube and their holders, and protective glass screens. Finally, for the cinema, Studio Modijefsky evokes the old-school glamour of the silver screen with curtains, luxurious drapery and spotlights.

To firmly root De Witt in its community, the colour palette developed by Studio Modijefsky adheres to the ‘Dordtse kleuren’. This the city’s official colour palette, based on Dordrecht’s historic buildings. As Dordrecht was the first city in the Netherlands to adopt its own palette, it’s a further symbol of civic pride. It marks De Witt out as a Dordrecht icon, rooted in the past, that will offer everyone pleasure for years to come, open to the whole city, whether for a film, food or a coffee.



Ground Floor  // Grand Entrance

In De Witt’s old guise as The Movies, there were two entrances to the building. Now visitors are routed through a new main entrance designed by Lugten Malschaert Architects. The old façade was broken through to uncover old windows and create access to new ones, allowing natural light to fill the interior via the stunning floor to ceiling glass façade. Upon entering you see the ticket booth, which is encased in light blue velvet curtains hanging floor to ceiling and a huge wall of movie posters behind them. Spotlights add a dramatic edge to the booth and mark the beginning of a journey that will immerse you in the glamour of the silver screen. 



All the areas of the brasserie are visually connected by hanging lights in the shape of cloister arches given extra depth by aged brass mesh crowns above them. The lights reflect gently off the darker walls and ceilings surrounding them to create an intimate atmosphere and lead you to the heart of the brasserie: the dramatic bar. It’s an ode to cinema and the performing arts: a stage with a majestic three-layered velvet curtain in shades of indigo, from which delicious cocktails are served under a spotlight. You can enjoy this performance from all around the bar thanks to seating that extends the bar space and offers direct access to the brasserie around you and the terrace outside.

The bar itself is crafted like a curtain, with waves carved into its wooden base. The veins of the oak travel in two directions to form an eye-catching contrast: vertical on the bar, horizontal on the base. As a nod to a classic brasserie the bar top is made of zinc. Columns in the corners of the bar have been tiled with pale blue tiles and handmade aged mirrors, designed to fit in precisely with the city’s colour scheme. As a final allusion to the performing arts, the feet of wine glasses have been positioned to hang just beneath the curtain, appearing like a ballerina’s dress beneath the curtain.

As you make your way around the bar, you’ll notice three standing tables in the walls between the door openings. These feature stunning Italian marble tops set above two layers of dark oiled oak, and are perfect for enjoying an intimate drink while waiting for a film or in anticipation of a delicious meal.

A private space can be created in one corner of the brasserie by closing off the impressive yellow curtains that fall 4 metres from floor to ceiling. These are the only curtains in De Witt that are not made entirely out of velvet: they are velvet on one side and linen on the other, to create an eye-catching visual contrast. 

Upstairs

There are two staircases leading upstairs, both of which are lined with custom made boards for movie posters that have alabaster sphere lights above them, and wimple shapes around them, to raise the excitement on the way to the two large cinema screens upstairs. At the top of the stairs, you’ll find a film lounge with a bar and ticketing area. The floor pattern is the same as downstairs, but up here’s the floor is made of two shades of oak instead of tiles. Routing between the lounge and the two cinema screens is conducted by a simpler version of the cloister arch lights without the aged brass mesh crowns.

The film lounge is split by a wall, with a ticket booth on one side and a bar on the other. The bar seemingly travels between the wall – it’s the same wavey shape as its counterpart downstairs but different colours on each side of the wall: dark oak for the ticket booth, painted blue for the bar.



Event Room

This multifunctional event room is perfect for hosting anything from poetry recitals to dance performances. Dark brown and taupe velvet curtains hang all around the worlds, concealing a door to a kitchen which allows events to be fully catered. Lighting is provided by coloured glass hanging lights that hang like planets from the ceiling, and the De Witt signature alabaster lights on the walls. The window frames here are darker to better frame the view over the picturesque houses on the other side of the street. It’s the perfect culmination of a collection of carefully designed spaces that will host many unforgettable evenings for the people of Dordrecht.