Sometimes, the best opportunities come your way when you create them yourself. That’s exactly what happened while I was taking the Hospitality Styling course at Akademie Vogue in Amsterdam. At the time, I had already been running my own business for a year, mainly working with residential clients. I followed the course one day a week alongside my work, and I absolutely loved it.
From Fiction to Reality
For the final assignment, we had to completely rebrand a restaurant and design a new interior. We had to use a real floor plan, but everything else could be made up. That just didn’t sit right with me. Why put all that creativity into something fictional when I could turn it into a real project? I’d been working in the field for years and felt ready to take on something bigger.
So, instead of designing for an imaginary client, I posted in a Facebook group for hospitality entrepreneurs. I asked if any restaurant owners were open to a full makeover and actually willing to go through with it. The responses rolled in, but one really caught my attention: Dutch Diner in Rotterdam, owned by Zeynep and Dennis. Their restaurant was in this super cool octagon-shaped building, and I immediately saw so much potential.
The Transformation into Broox Rotterdam
After some back-and-forth over email, I met up with Zeynep and Dennis to hear more about their vision. Dutch Diner was mostly known for breakfast and lunch, especially their poffertjes, but they wanted a fresh start. A new name, new look, new vibe—something modern and urban. Oh, and they asked me to come up with the name too. No pressure, right?
Luckily, inspiration struck quickly, and by the end of the day, I had it: BROOX ROTTERDAM. It was a play on their last name, Van den Broek, and had a cool, city-like feel—easy to remember and perfect for word-of-mouth marketing.
For the interior, they gave me full creative freedom. The only must-have? It had to be hip and Instagrammable, with a feminine touch. I went for a mix of trendy beige, soft pink, and copper—a color that I think is totally underrated. It gave the space a warm and stylish look, perfect for their prime location on the Meent in Rotterdam.
I also wanted to highlight the octagon shape of the building, so I added hexagon tiles to the floor, blending them seamlessly into the space. The bar became the star of the show, featuring copper hexagon tiles with the name BROOX displayed big and bold above it.
From Design to Reality
After finishing the course, it was time to bring the concept to life. Zeynep and Dennis were so happy with the design that they even asked me to redo their downstairs restrooms. I stuck with the hexagon theme but added a fun twist: a pink restroom for the ladies and a beige one for the gents.
Together with a team of contractors, we turned the vision into reality. The result? Broox Rotterdam, a trendy cocktail bar & restaurant in the heart of Rotterdam. Seriously, if you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out!
Thinking about giving your own restaurant a fresh new look? Or just craving a cocktail in a stylish setting? You know where to go!
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