{"id":899853,"date":"2026-10-30T11:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/899853\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T11:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:42:19","slug":"rotterdams-echo-is-a-tokyo-inspired-listening-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/899853\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotterdam\u2019s Echo is a Tokyo-inspired listening bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creative director Je\ufb00 Hoogendijk, DJ and producer Khalil Ryahi and architect Paul Cournet have teamed up to open a listening bar <\/a>in Rotterdam<\/a>, featuring a bar made from shipping crates and ombr\u00e9 mirrors by Sabine Marcelis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inspired by visits to listening bars in Tokyo, the trio envisioned Echo as a flexible space that can host different events and activities, but primarily focuses on the experience of music.<\/p>\n

Located on the ground floor of Groot Handelsgebouw, a post-war office block opposite Rotterdam Centraal station, the bar has an interior designed by Cournet\u2019s architecture and design studio, Cloud<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cournet said the idea was to adapt the concept of the listening bar to the creative energy of Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make it super local,\u201d he told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

\"Speaker<\/p>\n

The main bar, which functions as both a service counter and the DJ area, exemplifies this approach.<\/p>\n

Built by Baleart Handlers<\/a>, a company that manufactures wooden shipping crates specifically for transporting artworks, it\u2019s a reminder that Rotterdam is home to Europe\u2019s largest seaport.<\/p>\n

Its sides are printed with the words \u201chandled with care\u201d, which became Echo\u2019s tagline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought it would be so cool make the bar an art crate because we treated everything, from music to hospitality, as if it were art,\u201d said Cournet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always wanted to do everything in the best way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DJ<\/p>\n

The space features several works by Rotterdam-based designer Marcelis<\/a>, who is Cournet\u2019s partner.<\/p>\n

Her signature ombr\u00e9 mirrors adorn the walls, reflecting shades of red and gold, while a linear resin lamp hangs above the bar.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Sabine<\/p>\n

\n Read:\n <\/p>\n

Sabine Marcelis\u2019s Rotterdam loft apartment is \u201cforever evolving\u201d with her life<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Polish brand Tylko<\/a> supplied much of the furniture, including the modular shelving that extends across the walls to create space for displaying vinyl.<\/p>\n

Cournet previously worked with the furniture company on its Berlin showroom, a project that led to a collaboration with audio company Form Follows Frequency<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Tylko<\/p>\n

Together, they developed a colourful system of speakers and subwoofers that slot precisely into Tyklo\u2019s shelving, which launched earlier this year.<\/p>\n

These speakers form part of the sound system for Echo, along with two sculptural speaker towers that stand either side of the bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a contrast between the rawness of the exposed concrete and the more refined elements, like the sound system or Sabine\u2019s mirrors,\u201d said Cournet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you put them together, it creates a tension that I find interesting. The concrete feels a bit softer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Window<\/p>\n

ECHO is one of several listening bars to have opened recently \u2013 with others including Bar Bardo<\/a> in Milan and Upstairs at Hausu<\/a> in London \u2013 but it is the first of its kind in Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

The space shifts from a coffee shop by day to a bar by night, and includes a curated retail offering.<\/p>\n

It can also morph to accommodate exhibitions, listening sessions of 20 to 40 people, or seated dinners for up to 40 guests.<\/p>\n

\"Magazines<\/p>\n

Since opening in early September, the team has invited various local record stores to contribute to the event programme.<\/p>\n

\u201cRotterdam has this really long history with music, with a lot of famous DJs and people who were pioneers in the music scene in the 1990s and 2000s,\u201d added Cournet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like the project has really resonated with that community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Share<\/p>\n

\n Photography by
\n Sophia van den Hoek
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Creative director Je\ufb00 Hoogendijk, DJ and producer Khalil Ryahi and architect Paul Cournet have teamed up to open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":899854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,55308,229,88,166137,6802,110851,114045],"class_list":["post-899853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-bars","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-listening-bars","tag-netherlands","tag-rotterdam","tag-sabine-marcelis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=899853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/899854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=899853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=899853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=899853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}