History of Sauna Deco

Paris in the nineteen-thirties

Stained-glass, wooden panels/ wainscoting , gilded decorations, sandblasted glass, artfully treated stair rails. It is amazing that all these fine things almost landed in a dumpster, because once upon a time this exuberant Art Deco interior decorated the Paris Department store, Au Bon Marché on the Rue des Sèvres in the nineteen-twenties.

Fifty years later the Company Head of the department store decided to modernize the store and remove all the decorations. By coincidence they (who are they?) heard of the restoration and demolition of the interior of the department store and they traveled immediately to Paris .

After negotiation with a surprised Head of the department store, who didn't understand a thing of there interest, they removed the ornaments bit by bit. They had to be careful and all parts were numbered and if necessary they made drawings of it.

A large part of all this beauty went to Sauna Deco on the Herengracht, a building designed by Berlage in 1890. Also Dutch culture goods were saved from demolition. The grey green wall tiles originated from the old Twentsche Bank in the Spuistraat.