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Kanarie Club opens in an Amsterdam tram depot

Dutch design practice Studio Modijefsky has turned an abandoned tram depot into Kanarie Club – an all-day destination in west Amsterdam where patrons can eat, drink and work.

The studio has created a series of zones within the vast floor plate of the 1902 converted warehouse, which has served as a repair garage and paint shop over the years.

At the heart of Kanarie Club is a timber and gold-accented bar. This sits on a platform crossed by the old tram lines that still mark the structure’s concrete floors.

Kanarie Club in Amsterdam
Photography: Maarten Willemstein

The old depot’s soaring trussed ceiling has been left exposed with the addition of skylights. New windows and doors also help draw light into the cavernous space, while paying homage to the adaptive reuse project’s industrial roots.

Studio Modijefsky has made its name by creating colourful interiors – its other Amsterdam haunt Bar Botanique made our list of 2016’s most exceptional establishments – and Kanarie Club is no different.

The designers have offset red-brick walls and concrete floors with custom furniture in yellow and green (a reference to the bar’s moniker), and lush foliage.

Kanarie Club in Amsterdam
Photography: Maarten Willemstein

Slatted chairs evoke those found in old electric trams, while other industrial touches – such as steel curtains – help demarcate the space informally into work and play areas.

A kitsch twist can be found on the mezzanine level where a second bar, dubbed The Pool, nods to the depot’s storied past.

‘The concept [for The Pool] is taken from the squatters who used to live in the old tram depot before its renovation,’ says the practice. ‘They used the leaking water from the ceiling to create an inside swimming pool for themselves.’

Kanarie Club in Amsterdam
Photography: Maarten Willemstein

While revellers won’t be able to take a dip in the new pool, they can enjoy its plush seating and aquatic-themed interiors.

Read next: Hotel V Fizeaustraat brings vintage charm to Amsterdam

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