At The Dylan, we believe that luxury isn’t about opulence. Some call it understated, some call it quiet luxury. We seek to seamlessly blend the period charm of our heritage buildings with modern-day interior design elements. We’ve had a chat with Jikke, Co-Founder of interior design company Format Furniture, whom have been working on the recent redesign of our loft suites, together with Studio Linse.
Can you share talk us through the founding story of Format Furniture? What was your inspiration and motivation that led you to create this company?
Both Floor and myself come from entrepreneurial families. Speaking for myself, I’ve always had a passion for beautiful things, from fashion and interior design, to art. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I wasn’t sure in what form. When I met Floor, I immersed in the world of interior design, and my love for it grew even stronger. Floor is a passionate craftsman who has known since his childhood that he wanted to design and create interiors. for
Your motto speaks volumes about the timelessness and quality of your designs. How do you balance innovation with creating pieces that are ‘meant to outlive the present’?
Our focus goes beyond aesthetics and functionality, we aim to create interior spaces that will remain relevant and high-quality for decades, that don’t need fixing after a couple of years. The craftsmanship of our team, our premium material suppliers and our attention to detail all contribute to this commitment to timelessness.
Luxury in materials is a cornerstone of Format Furniture. Could you elaborate on how you select your materials, ensuring they meet your high standards for quality and sustainability?
The materials that we work with are very carefully sourced, from the wood that we use to special sorts of marble. We choose all materials ourselves and are very meticulous in this part of the process. We like to work with thick wood veneers, solid wood or multiplex as a base, which we then individually select with our wood supplier, per project. The same goes for marble, or in case of the Loft suites at The Dylan, beautiful Taj Mahal quartzite.
Can you give us an insight into the custom craftsmanship that goes into each piece of furniture? And how do you ensure that each creation resonates with your client’s personal style and needs?
Good design starts with good research. In this initial phase, we get to know our client, their individual needs, their lifestyle, their family structure, and their interior design dreams. We discuss what they are looking for regarding arrangement, layout, and aesthetics. Then we start the design phase, in which those initial ideas begin to take shape. We brainstorm about the concept, make design drawings and select all the materials, which is all presented to the clients at our Format LAB. A next step is to realize all these above dreams. We make detailed technical drawings, based on the designs, which are leading in our production process. This part of the process is where we give physical form to our ideas. Our production is led by incredibly meticulous craftspeople who pour all their knowledge into everything we build. Last but not least: the installation. The moment where we all waited for…
How did the collaboration between Format Furniture and The Dylan come about? What synergies do you see between the hotel and Format?
It all started with your former Director of Operations, Roel Ruijs, who had been following us for a while. We’ve been in touch in the past four years or so, for some smaller projects, however our collaboration really started mid 2022. The renovation of 5 suites was the starting point, a fantastic assignment for which we are very grateful. The synergy between Format and The Dylan, in my opinion can be found in our common passion and ambition to strive for the very best. Not only in experience, but also in quality and durability. We share those same values, which comes together beautifully in the refreshed rooms and suites.
In a world where design trends change rapidly, how do you maintain a vision of timelessness in your creations?
By staying true to our design vision and by never forgetting what we stand for. That is, designing and crafting projects that will last for at least 20 years. When looking at details, materials and functionality, we always keep this in mind with every decision we make.
If you had to describe Format Furniture’s signature style in a few words, what would they be?
Soft, minimal, refined and solid.
Of all the pieces you’ve created, do you have any personal favorites or projects that hold special meaning for you?
One special project for us was the complete interior design of a split-level villa in Utrecht, originally designed by Gerrit Rietveld. The residents gave us carte-blanche, a dream for every designer. For this project, we had to ask ourselves how to enhance yet respect a house that would be easily considered a design classic.
Looking forward, what are your aspirations for Format? Are there new directions or projects you are particularly excited about?
2024 will be a very exciting year for us, as we’re gearing up for a new showroom and workshop! We will finally have the space to showcase our design philosophy in its entirety. In the form of mini-apartment, we’d like to show how we would use areas and partner up with young and upcoming furniture companies for the styling. We’ll see the workshop as a laboratory, where we get to experiment with handles, create our own colors, and much more. Every time we encounter something and think ‘’Why doesn’t it look like this?’’, we want to take it to our lab, figure out how to improve it, and put in production later. All in all, we would like to grow towards a full-service interior design studio.
Lastly, what advice would you give to anyone looking to elevate their interior spaces?
Stay true to yourself and don’t let trends influence you too much. In the end, having a warm and comfortable home where you feel at ease is most important. And as Floor says, you can always contact Format…
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