Rotterdam now also has its own FEST store. At Delftsevaart 26 the doors of the fifth brandstore of the fast-growing interior brand are open. In the shop you can get free interior advice from the Design Specialists or just stroll between all furniture, home accessories and art by the Rotterdam-based Elsemarijn Bruys.
The official opening of the store in Rotterdam on Friday October 8th is gonna be a blast. With lots of champagne and plenty of gifts! The first 50 visitors will receive a goodie bag. In the entire month of October, customers receive a Bruce vase with every purchase.
The eye-catcher of FEST Rotterdam is the second floor. Furnished as a full-fledged apartment, the space offers flexible workplaces where the table and chairs can be tried out. The working places are offered in cooperation with Wise.
The shop is housed in a striking former office building around the corner of Meent. It’s from 1953 and it’s originally designed by architects Maaskant and van Tijen. It has been converted into seven homes and a shop. The new design is by Jade Architects, commissioned by Westpoint Beheer. Just like the flagship stores in Amsterdam and Antwerp, the shop in Rotterdam’s Stadsdriehoek is designed by S-P-A-C-E projects. Designer Pepijn Smit: “By creating spaces, we tell stories.” Besides the characteristic FEST style – modern, playful, uplifting – there will be a clear nod to the modernist character of the building and the city.
The distinctive black and white balance of the façade is reflected in the geometric lines of the shop interior. In addition, the modernist colours – yellow, red and blue – are also reflected in the interior. The walls are inspired by the typical yellow bricks, and the red and blue neon-artwork on the second floor makes FEST Rotterdam stand out in the street scene.
FEST was founded in 2013 by Femke Furnée out of a personal need for original and affordable design. Femke: “I was looking for beautiful design at a good price, but found that this is not easy to find. On the one hand, you have the mass offer of the furniture malls, on the other hand, the high-end designer brands that are unaffordable for me. I decided to jump into the gap between the two.”
100 points of sale
Femke Furnée: “I started at the age of 27 without experience, economic background or starting capital. I started with €3,000 in savings and, in just under seven years, I have developed FEST into an interior design brand with its own design collection that is sold in more than 100 points of sale in 20 countries, including Liberty London, Fleux Paris, The Conran Shop (London, Paris and Korea) and Cibone Tokyo. We also supply to the business market, our furniture is for example in co-working space Fosbury & Sons and at the head office of Karl Lagerfeld in Amsterdam. We also sell to consumers via the webshop and the stores. The fact that we are still growing so much despite these bizarre times that we can now open another shop makes me realise that what we are doing is really special.”
The FEST team basically is its own target group and therefore understands like no other what their customers need. That is not just high-quality furniture and home décor, but also service. From free interior advice and fabric samples to a real cinema to test sofa’s (so take off your shoes and lay back while you snack) and a furniture viewer on the site where people can look at all the sofas in all possible setups and in more than 100 fabrics. FEST furthermore offers a full-service delivery. They will put the new furniture in place, assemble it and take all the cardboard and plastic back with them.
FEST created a separate website
FEST may be the new kid on the block in the traditional furniture industry, but they are well on their way to becoming a global player. Not least because of the can-do attitude of FEST founder Femke Furnée. “Optimism is a superpower. I believe that nothing is impossible, as long as you follow your intuition and look at what is possible instead of what is not.” That mentality also means to be practical. Acknowledging the rivalry between Amsterdam and Rotterdam the brand even created a separate site: www.festrotterdam.nl
