Working where other people go on holiday – that’s the name of the game for the Dutch de Visser family. They made a dream come true – for themselves and their wealth of visitors – when they opened their beach bar in Vrouwenpolder in Zeeland in spring 2016. The couple chose Lindura flooring for the interior.
“In the past, this was just a sleepy corner of the beach”, reminisces Irene de Visser. Unlike the beaches in places like Domburg, the beach at Vrouwenpolder had little to offer in the way of gastronomy. Both holiday guests and locals alike had to go further afield. This all changed in 2015 – when work started on the modern beach bar “De Dam”, the new hotspot on this part of the Dutch coast.
Within only four-and-a-half months, the first pile was rammed into the ground on 26th November 2015, the building was constructed with 600 m² of floor space – planning permission did not allow for more. This doesn’t matter, however, because the focus here is still on the beach, sea and sky. And these were brought indoors, so to speak, thanks to a perfect interior design that links inside and out. Natural materials are dominant – wood, metal, leather, linen – in colours also found in the direct vicinity of the dunes, the beach and the water: shades of green, turquoise, cream, white, with copper-coloured decorative elements to contrast. This makes the beach bar appear to melt in with its environment. The entire interior fittings are custom designed, making them unique but harmonious at the same time. There’s nothing off-the-peg here: high quality designer chairs meet coarse wooden tables, decorative discoveries give the bar a personal touch.
The de Vissers opt for a natural floor covering, too. It was clear relatively early on that the flooring would have to be wooden, “since that was the only way to achieve the natural atmosphere of the beach bar.” Yet there were still doubts: “large quantities of sand being brought in every day, the numerous visitors with prams or dogs – would a classic parquet floor be able to cope?” The perfect solution for a relaxed maritime atmosphere: Lindura! The large format (2.60 m x 32 cm) is particularly impressive in spacious rooms, and the surface finish café latte rustic oak is an excellent choice for gastronomy, not only on account of its name. Lindura is especially tough and easy to care for thanks to the high share of mineral components in the ‘wood powder’, and it is thus capable of coping with all the challenges facing a beach bar: sand is swept or vacuumed away in between, regular mopping is no problem for the floor. Sure, it already has a bit
of a patina – but that just makes it all the more natural and ethnic. Life in “De Dam” is close to nature in other ways, too. This is reflected by the use of regional products in the kitchen, as well as in the hot water and electricity supply, which work via special hybrid solar cells on the roof of the building. The sleepy times at Vrouwenpolder beach are definitely over now “De Dam” has arrived: up to 700 meals a day are prepared on a typical Sunday in July, the bar is open from 10 am to 11 pm. Forty employees help make sure guests feel at home, particularly son Robin who currently manages ‘De Dam’ and has always dreamt of opening a beach bar. His brother Leon takes care of the website etc. and also lends a hand in the bar - a true family-owned business! And these days it’s also an award-winning company: “De Dam” was declared best newcomer “Strandpaviljoen” in 2016.
For further information on the beach bar, www.de-dam.nl