An Amsterdam favourite since 2013, Van Stapele Koekmakerij have done very well by keeping things very simple: baking only one type of cookie. A brown chocolate cookie with a heart of white chocolate, crisp around the edges and soft and gooey on the inside, the irresistible treat draws a humongous queue of sweet-toothed customers who patiently await their daily fix.
Beginning life in the small kitchen of Vera van Stapele on 6 February 2013, in a tiny alley in the heart of the city, the koekmakerij’s growing popularity has led to a change of location and a larger premises. Opening this week, Van Stapele has moved to Rokin 17, and the design of the new store was entrusted to Amsterdam-based interior designers Studio Modijefsky, who ensured that none of its beloved charm was lost in the expansion.
The new design captures a timelessness which has been combined with a carefully considered choice of natural materials in a colour palette of brown shades and cream white colours that are inspired by Van Stapele’s renowned cookie. Classic touches meets modern glamour, warm brown wood, antique brass and intricate detailing each adding to a distinctive essence of being unaffected by the passage of time and fashion.
Elements from the old shop return in new forms; its wallpaper, for example, now represented in weathered stucco, as well as a curtain in the brand’s signature colours of cream white and desaturated mint. The brand’s history is further told through the playful and interactive automated window displays that demonstrate how the famous cookies are crafted inside.
Enabling customers to understand the baking process is integral. The old shop’s cramped proportions meant that every customer got as close to this as possible and, although the new store has more space, customers will still feel close to the action with a gigantic glass wall showcasing not only the marble tables where the cookies are rolled, but an oven wall adorned entirely in antique brass that serves as the backdrop. None of the theatre from the original location is lost.
After being baked to perfection, each batch of cookies is carefully placed onto a tray in a custom-made cabinet that runs the width of the store. It contains a tapis-roulant that rolls the cookies into the shop. Once a tray is lifted off the conveyor belt, it’s replaced by a fresh one from the bakery, a hypnotic procession that customers can observe while waiting for their orders to be packed.
On the right-hand side of the store, children will love the grab cabinet: a coin operated machine for which they receive a coin upon entering. Inserting the coin, a golden cookie dough ball is set in motion on a track that curls through a model of the old shop building. When the coin reaches the end of the track, a small present appears, a fine experience for all that get to witness.
Studio Modijefsky have ensured that the magic of Van Stapele is woven into each and every aspect, evoking a Willy Wonka-esque atmosphere that creates an enchanting experience. Open 10am until the last cookie is sold, this much-loved Amsterdam staple is sure to enjoy many decades more of adoration from the city’s discerning sweet tooths.
Van Stapele Amsterdam Photography, Maarten Willemstein.
