Amsterdam-based architecture and design studio Barde vanVoltt has created a retail store interior like a Japanese zen garden in Nistelrode, the Netherlands.

Named Calico Club, the store has been transformed from a 100-year-old farmhouse into a tranquil space where Japanese tradition and Dutch heritage collide in an unexpected manner. 

The store is located in a village named Nistelrode in the south of the country, and the store needed to offer an experience that’s well worth the journey.

Reflective surfaces, rocks, a lounge chair, rugs, curtains, wooden cabinets, and transparent tubular showcases are distributed irregularly throughout the space and invite customers to explore their own corner to sit and focus on the products. 

Barde vanVoltt, led by Bart van Seggelen and Valérie Boerma, calls the space as "a new zen- inspired store" that creates calm in an unpredictable world. The store breaks traditional typology of a store in which it offers a village-like experience. 

Calico Club is a high-end fashion retailer in The Netherlands, and the brand has launched a new store that’s become a destination for fashion aficionados. 

"At a time when the world feels unpredictable and retailers dial up the stimulation and Insta-worthy backdrops, Calico Club has taken cues from the Japanese zen masters to offer their customers more than exclusive brands—but an environment to nourish creative flow," said Barde vanVoltt in its project description. 

"With such a loyal following, on-point fashion offering, and a desire to do retail differently, the owners selected an alluring location that’s off-the-beaten-track," the studio explained. 

The team aimed to create a project that is unexpected, avoiding to make feel an overwhelming experience. Display shelves and dressing rooms were each recommended their own defined areas to prevent distraction and encourage focus.

"One example is the Japanese tree featured at the end of the store," said the studio. 

"Encased in a circular glass bench, the tree and the fashion collection opposite is given its moment thanks to a sheet of curved, rolled metal to separate it from the fitting rooms." 

At the front of the store, customers see the best of the collection suspended in floating glass cylinders filled with straw. Supporting "a screen-free store policy", all of this builds a harmony throughout the space.

"The all-new Calico Club rewards those who seek it. It showcases the best brands in a space unlike any other, in a village you would not think of immediately. An original retail experience that will transform you at first sight," the studio added.

To create this store, the studio is highly influenced by a contrast where Dutch heritage and Japanese tradition collide to form an unexpected expression. 

The floor plan is conceived like a Japanese zen garden and its traditional elements of rock, water, and plants have been interpreted in more modern and abstract ways.

"Rocks come to form in jagged whitewashed boulders that double as retail displays, polished concrete flooring, stark gray gravel, and elevated white pebble islands to house collections," the studio explained. 

"Rippled mirrored glass resembles water, and sculpted Japanese plants and trees pop against the rustic red farmhouse exterior." 

The studio provides a clear balance by also using cooler materials, while walnut timber and linen bring warmth to the interior. The custom-made counter, cabinets, and fitting rooms are all carved from walnut and lined with linen. 

Inside, visitors can still perceive the spacious farmhouse ceiling that is filled with draped linen to complement rectangular metal clothes racks and soften the store’s acoustics.

Barde vanVoltt was founded by Bart van Seggelen and Valérie Boerma. The studio is an international interior design and architecture firm that "crafts unexpected spaces to lead inspiring lives." The firm describes itself as "interpreters; fluent in spaces, stories, and design."

Project facts

Project name: Calico Club

Architects: Barde vanVoltt

Location: Nistelrode, The Netherlands

Date of completion: October 2022

Client: Calico Club /  

Contractor: Store3D

Videography: Max Knaapen

All images © Sarah Wijzenbeek.

> via Barde vanVoltt

Barde vanVoltt retail store store walnut zen