Restaurant Gerardushoeve nominated for International Design Award.

Door: Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Restaurant Gerardushoeve from Epen has been nominated for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. This prestigious international design award is one of the most important prizes in the field of interior design for restaurants and bars worldwide. A ​​total of 536 companies from 70 countries have been nominated in various categories. Five of the nominated locations are from the Netherlands, including Gerardushoeve from Epen.

Hans Kuijten

The restaurant at the Gerardushoeve was spectacularly transformed in just five weeks in 2018 by top Dutch designer Hans Kuijten. Kuijten was commissioned to translate the vision, DNA, and unique storytelling of the Gerardushoeve into a new design for the restaurant. The new design had to exude a warm and inviting atmosphere with a metropolitan look and feel, contrasting with the beautiful rural surroundings and character of the region.

"It was a challenging job," says Kuijten, "but I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. You never know what you'll find or who you'll be working with in terms of clients. It quickly became clear to me that with Eugene and Judith Vaessen, I had two partners with whom I could literally and figuratively move mountains. They gave me their trust and complete freedom to put my stamp on the project. After that, I got to work rigorously, and together we managed to push each other to great heights during the process. A process, incidentally, where there was no room for compromise. There were no compromises on the quality of materials, and the practical workflow of the business was not allowed to suffer because of the new design, resulting in a beautiful restaurant with a matching ambiance.

I even dare to say, and in retrospect I realize this doesn't happen often, that this project became even more beautiful during its execution than what we initially had on the drawing board. And that is a great compliment to everyone who contributed to the new Gerardushoeve."

Exciting period

Judith Vaessen from the Gerardushoeve adds: “Hans is a true creator; we immediately clicked with each other. Throughout the process, the interior became richer and more beautiful. However, the biggest challenge was completing this complete metamorphosis within 5 weeks, which normally takes 14 weeks. We were also a little nervous about whether our guests, who vary considerably in age, would appreciate the new design. You can never know that for sure beforehand, but the reactions have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and that gives us a great deal of satisfaction about the choices we made with Hans.”

Special honor

The Gerardushoeve was nominated at the beginning of 2019 to participate in the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. That in itself is very special, explains Eugene Vaessen. "Especially when you see which projects in which locations are also competing for the awards – stunning designs by world-renowned designers in cities such as New York, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney. The fact that we are on this list with our restaurant from Epen is almost unbelievable. It's an incredible honor and an affirmation of the qualities of Hans van Kuijten and all the partners who embarked on this project with us."

Further progress 

The Gerardushoeve will have to be patient a little longer as the jury will soon begin evaluating all the designs. All nominees had to submit their designs to the jury by April 14th. The shortlist will be announced on June 18th, after which the winners will be honored in London at the beginning of October.