Studio Modijefsky reinvents a historic Dutch cinema

In the Netherlands, the watery, almost Venice-like city of Dordrecht is rich with architectural landmarks going back a thousand years. Even the old De Witt cinema – once known simply as The Movies – is a treasured artefact, located between the 16th-century city museum and the Wijnhaven canal. To bring it up to date and cement it into the future of the city, the all-female Amsterdam interior architects Studio Modijefsky expanded and restored the heritage spaces, adding a new brasserie to the lofty main hall.

The new Cinema De Witt hearkens back to the building’s past lives. Contemporary recessed lighting highlights the vaulted ceilings of a bygone cloister while dark linen window surrounds are shaped like nuns’ wimples. Tiled panelling highlights the old corridors that once served a school. Test tube motifs nod to its laboratory days. And the old Hollywood glamour of the theatre days was brought in with luxurious drapery and spotlights.

Studio Modijefsky collaborated with Lugten Malschaert Architects on consolidating the foyers into one statement entrance with enlarged windows that throw natural light around the historic walls and an original ticket booth swathed in blue-velvet curtains. Spotlights are placed around the space to create drama. They opened up the main floor so the brasserie could spread out within the volume and open to the square outside.

The new space incorporates an open kitchen trimmed with school tiles and lighting that recalls laboratory tubes and mirrors. Long schoolroom benches serve as seating, and the checkered Aigües floor tiles are from Mallorca. In the bar, guests sit on a curtained stage under a spotlight.

Dordrecht is one of few European cities with its own official palette, and the new design incorporates colours from the so-called Dordtse kleuren. These warm woods and deep gem tones weave the building into the local fabric – like the cultural hub Kunstkerk (Art Church) across the road.