Moved. Same Building, Different Hall.

For a year, we were settled in Bulb Spaces in Heemstede in a large space on the left wing. With a photo studio inside. A large kitchen. Plenty of room for everything we thought we needed.

This month, we have officially moved. Not far. Internally. We are now in the large hall, in the corner by the two large exterior doors.

The Front Door

Our corner of the building has its own entrance. Two glass doors beneath a concrete canopy. You drive onto the premises, park, and you're practically inside. Open the door and you walk straight into the hall. Past the maple tree, past the round table, and you're there. For an office in a listed building, it's quite a prominent spot. Visitors don't have to search.

Smaller

It's much cosier. A round table. A desk with two screens. A bookshelf. The red maple was allowed to come along. We've done a lot of tidying up. Items, materials, racks full of things we thought we might use "someday." Most of it is gone. We're becoming increasingly compact, and we like it.

Here is now our AI studio, and this is now Bir and my spot, we're so happy with it. With wonderful colleagues around us, and occasionally a drink on Fridays, and a light, cool space, with still many of our things around us.

The Bulb

The building itself deserves a paragraph. It was built between 1924 and 1928 for the flower bulb industry, designed by architect J. Zietsma, in a sleek variant of the Amsterdam School. About 3,500 square metres, intended for storing, drying, and packing bulbs. It was once the largest building in Heemstede. The locals simply called it the Bulb, or the Bollenschuur.

It was meant to enhance the appearance of the bulb company. It succeeded. However, the construction costs were so high that the Hollandsche Cultuur Maatschappij went bankrupt in 1930. Afterwards, the Hollandsch Zweedsche Zaad Maatschappij took over. Now it is a listed building, and mainly creative companies reside there.
From the outside, you can still see that history clearly. Sleek brickwork, protruding stones in the façade, round arches further on. Inside, the iron construction from back then still holds up perfectly.
Where bulbs once lay drying, we now create images with AI. (Source: Historic Association Heemstede-Bennebroek)

The Hall

High steel trusses. Daylight from above. A concrete floor occasionally traversed by a dog. Long tables where you can just join in.
It's large without feeling empty.
Here, we hope to work with great pleasure for the coming years.

— Peet & Bir.