2_1_DiscoverBenelux_22_Oct_2015_Scan Magazine 1 30/09/2015 20:47 Page 34
Great ice cream meets great design The exceptional quality that exemplifies multiple award-winning Dutch ice cream parlour and accompanying coffee bar DE IJssalon, goes further than the passion implemented into making their products. Four of their locations (De Meent, Markthal and recently opened Witte de Withstraat in Rotterdam as well as ‘t Vlak in Barendrecht) can be credited to high-end interior architects FIEGELMARKX. TEXT: PAOLA WESTBEEK | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DE IJSSALON & FIEGELMARKX
Whilst growing up, Robin Alting, owner of DE IJssalon, was always surrounded by sweet treats and desserts. Though he learned the pastry trade at his parents’ bakery, it was ultimately ice cream that won him over and became his profession. “At a certain point, my parents decided to look into selling ice cream in order to boost profits during the summer, and I was the one who took this on,” he explains. Alting travelled to Italy where he learned the trade and soon embarked into the world of ice cream at his father’s bakery in Ridderkerk. After having his first business in Crooswijk, he opened the first DE IJssalon location on the popular shopping street De Meent in Rotterdam in August 2000.
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Ten more locations would follow in what became a rewarding career fueled by the drive to create what Alting calls “onwijs lekker ijs”, or “incredibly nice ice cream”. Alting takes great pride in making a wide and constantly changing selection of premium quality ice creams and sorbets with only top-notch products and all-natural ingredients. The fruit used is either marketfresh or purchased as high-quality frozen purées. Additives, flavour enhancers or preservatives are never added.
Architectural interiors But it isn’t just the delectable ice cream or expertly prepared cup of coffee that has set DE IJssalon apart from the rest. In fact, one
of the most significant factors in DE IJssalon’s success is without a doubt their innovatively designed interiors – a project for which Alting enlisted the help of FIEGELMARKX, an interior architectural design agency which designs both for the hospitality industry (including hotels and restaurants) as well as for private homes. After witnessing the superior skills of architect Ronald Fiegel first hand (he also helped him design his home), Alting entrusted him with giving his parlours an ingenious new look. Rather than being created from the perspective of what an ice cream parlour should look like, the stunning interiors were designed to be handsome environments that not only mirror the fine products being