Case 1

No Sign Of Design Table and Chairs in a Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam gallery below a large colourful wall mural

Glyder sofa system, a long dark leather bench in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam entrance hall between brick wall and glass facade

Glyder sofa system in the entrance hall

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Project Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Architects Benthem Crouwel Architecten
Photography Roos Aldershoff, G.J. van Rooij (beelden Collectie).

The function of a museum is multifaceted. It is a space where chairs are used frequently and very intensively—16 hours a day—by people from all walks of life. It is a space where red wine and coffee are occasionally spilled, where chairs are constantly being moved and rearranged. After the reopening of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2012, Lensvelt supplied furniture for the entrance hall, the Founders Room, and various public areas. The supplied furniture was designed by Joep van Lieshout, Richard Hutten, Mark van der Gronden, and Paolo Rizzatto.

AVL Office Chairs around the long white Workbench table on the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam top floor, Crate Cabinet beside it

Workbench and AVL Office chairs in the conference room on the topfloor

Krattenkast Crate Cabinet of multicoloured plastic crates on a wooden pallet in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam conference room

'Krattenkast' in the conference room

People are initially welcomed in the main hall with the WH Gispen 301 Easy Chair or WH Gispen 302 Easy Chair from Lensvelt, which is accessible to everyone. The concept of the central hall of the Stedelijk Museum is more than just a space that guides museum visitors to various exhibitions. It is a communal meeting place for both Amsterdammers and visitors. The Gispen Easy Chair, matching the W.H. Gispen Coffee Table, is an open invitation where visitors to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam can now sit, relax, and enjoy a drink. In addition, Lensvelt has also supplied furniture from the No Sign of Design collection by Richard Hutten. This collection has been featured in the renovated Library since spring 2018.

Glyder sofa system

In the past, the Stedelijk Museum had to purchase new chairs every three years, while the used chairs were discarded. With Lensvelt's Circular Pool concept, the chairs now remain the property of Lensvelt, and the museum rents the furniture instead. At present, the chairs have been in use for six years and are still in perfect condition. The museum notifies Lensvelt whenever a chair needs repair, and the materials are then replaced, recycled, or refurbished. This represents a much more sustainable approach in our pursuit of a circular business model.