The new ‘Hidden Treasures’ room at the Navy Museum in Den Helder has become a multifunctional space, welcoming not only museum visitors but also guests attending dinners and receptions among the history of the Royal Navy.
The museum holds a collection of 80,000 objects, many kept in storage for future generations. The ‘Hidden Treasures’ exhibition brings a selection of these into view for the first time in decades — paintings, ship models, ship decorations, awards, ship bells, banners, sculptures, and silverware spanning the history of the Royal Navy from the 17th century to the present day.
Bloom, along with Bruns, realized the multifunctional space in its entirety based on Perspekt Studio’s 3D design — from the structural walls dividing the room to the large side showcases and their furnishings, the carpet, the Neptune pedestal, the ceiling’s wind rose ornament, the graphic walls, touchscreens, and lighting.
The greatest challenge was technical: installing solid structural walls and large corner display cases inside a listed building, where drilling into the floor or ceiling was restricted. Solving this required close collaboration between the museum’s expertise and Bloom’s execution.
The result is a room that does exactly what it was designed to do: present the Navy’s rich history with its rightful dignity, in a space refined and adapted to host visitors, receptions, and gatherings alike.