hospitalitystyle.com

(Summer 2010) posted on Mon Jun 07, 2010 EDT

The Play’s the Thing: Bold graphics and artisanal accents stretch a tight budget and feed kids’ imaginations at a McDonald’s near Amsterdam.

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By Judi Ketteler

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McDonald's Europe's $828 million restaurant redesign program has made it cool for the cappuccino crowd to shelter under the Golden Arches. An influx of young professionals helped push sales up more than 5 percent in both the opening months of this year and for all of 2009. But while couples, singles and parents are off in latte land, relaxing in their mid-century modern style chairs and checking their text messages in the glow of geometric pendant lights, what's in it for the kids?

The Dutch firm UXUS Design answered that by taking the burger giant's Purely Simple décor concept on a trip through Wonderland, then filtering the mix through the eyes of today's visually savvy 7-and-under set. What emerged is McVillage, a third place space where children can indulge their appetite for creativity, activity and freewheeling fun.

Installed at a McDonald's in the Amsterdam suburb of Bodegraven, McVillage plays with adult design themes in a kid-friendly way. For example, there's the focus on big, bold graphics. McVillage, like most restaurant commissions, had the dual challenges of a small space—just 200 sq.ft.—and a tight budget, $202,000. But it also required an aesthetic that could integrate the activity area with the dining area to promote interaction between parents and children rather than sequestering the play space.

Overscaled imagery provided the right thread. Like the zebra prints, fractals and edgy photos that decorate McDonald's restaurants' walls in Europe, those used for McVillage clearly talk up to their market.

“We knew this generation needed more than the plastic Playskool look from the 1970s,” says George Gottl, co-creative director at Amsterdam-based UXUS. Working with McDonald's “what I eat, what I do” theme, the designers created three mini cottages that would invite kids to explore the journey from farm to table. They shelved the expected anime and cartoon references. And there's not a Ronald McDonald in sight. “We were inspired by the idea of oversized Victorian tin toys and paper dolls,” Gottl says. Then, we fused that with Andy Warhol's bright, off-register colors to give the space a 21st century update.”

Rustic elements with a handmade look collide with sharp-edged geometrics in a wry but approachable enclave. UXUS gets more bang for the euro by blending the 2D art with high-touch toys with movable parts. Kids in the Farm cottage can turn a wheel to change the weather from rain to sun. The Market invites them to test their business skills by pushing numbers on a giant cash register or check their consumer smarts with a pinball machine designed like a grocery cart. For active domestic types, the Kitchen offers a milk-shaker trampoline.

Not only was the approach cost effective, since the designers could achieve both durability and high quality using basic materials such as laminates and plexiglass, but it also gave the firm control over the execution. Much of the design work was done in-house, allowing for the layering of the graphics to achieve a look of dimensionality. And all of it is both scalable and modular. “It could work in as little as 80 square feet,” says Gottl.

Every aspect was safety tested. Equally important, it incorporated sustainable features such as non-toxic paint and printing ink that fit with McDonald's “simple, fresh, convenient” brand positioning.

With a team of mostly twentysomethings at work, Gottl admits the project resonated in a unique way. “We're almost all kids ourselves,” he says. For them, and for kids willing to forsake the predetermined play of a ball pit for a little magic, McVillage is a whole new world.