{"title":"Zitbank","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"zitbank-middelkerke-westende","title":"Middelkerke - Westende bench","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe iconic Middelkerke bench in white and blue — who doesn't know it?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/getimage2.php.jpg?v=1749132066\" alt=\"The blue and white Middelkerke bench on the promenade\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eLike many others, I grew up with them. They have been around since the 1950s and have only changed in small ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecently I saw one in miniature and thought: \u003ci\u003eI can do better than that\u003c\/i\u003e. I wanted it as true to life as possible. Every detail, every measurement and every proportion \u003cstrong\u003ehad\u003c\/strong\u003e to be right!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSo I started at the beginning: measuring. I studied not one but several benches, and noted everything down precisely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/bank_opmeten.png?v=1749132179\" alt=\"Measuring up a Middelkerke bench\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAfter a lot of digging I even found the original plans, dimensions included!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Original bench plan with dimensions\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/afmetingen_bank.jpg?v=1749135924\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eBut that still wasn't enough for me. I wanted something extra… Through Dirk Van den Bossche of ZoeteZee, I got hold of a brochure showing the distinctive tiles that defined the look of our promenade for years (see tile no. 58).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/tegels.jpg?v=1749132505\" alt=\"Brochure of the distinctive promenade tiles\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eI couldn't let that go, and decided to do something with it. What exactly? Read on 😉\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThen came the hardest choice: \u003cstrong\u003ewhich\u003c\/strong\u003e version of the bench? Did you know several variants have existed over the years? In the end I chose an older, slightly more authentic model with rounded armrests, unlike the more angular ones of today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThey say there's no arguing about taste and colour, but here there certainly was 😉 (Not easy, especially when you are — like me — partly colour-blind 🤣.) Today's paint isn't what it used to be, thanks to environmental standards and different formulations. Blue also fades in the sun, so one bench can soon look quite different from another. That's why I decided to make two versions: one in a lighter shade close to the current benches, and one in a darker, punchier blue with more character, the way they often used to be (and by the end of summer those looked like today's ones anyway).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/2_kleuren_bank_4907fc50-aaeb-4d29-b5f3-9f111bbf3353.jpg?v=1749133009\" alt=\"The two shades of blue side by side\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAnd then there are those iconic tiles I mentioned, which graced our promenade for almost a century. They often lay slightly crooked, but they had an unmistakable charm. Working from the brochure I recreated them — perfectly to scale, of course — and placed them under the bench.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe result? A beautiful miniature of a piece of heritage: the Middelkerke bench, on a floor from days gone by.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAnd in 3 sizes (width × depth × height):\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eLarge: W 21cm × D 9cm × H 9cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eMedium: W 16cm × D 6.5cm × H 7cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eSmall: W 10.5cm × D 4.5cm × H 4.5cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are the dimensions of the bench itself; the floor is about 1cm larger than the bench on each side.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eand as Steve Jobs would have said: There's one more thing...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWould you like a truly personal version, with your own text instead of Middelkerke - Westende? Choose a variant marked Gepersonaliseerd above — for €5 extra we make it to order. Two input fields then appear on this page, already filled in with Middelkerke and Westende. Change whatever you want changed and simply leave whatever can stay (e.g. Gino - Marianne, or Gino - Westende if you only want to replace one side).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/gino-marianne.jpg?v=1750668220\" alt=\"Personalised bench reading Gino - Marianne\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"'t Driedeetje","offers":[{"title":"€35 Large: original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50886715081045,"sku":"","price":35.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€25 Medium: original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50886715113813,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€15 Small: original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50886715146581,"sku":"","price":15.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€40 Large: personalised, original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50959876751701,"sku":"","price":40.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€30 Medium: personalised, original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50959877472597,"sku":"","price":30.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€20 Small: personalised, original colour (light blue)","offer_id":50959877898581,"sku":"","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€40 Large: brighter colour (dark blue)","offer_id":50886715179349,"sku":"","price":40.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€30 Medium: brighter colour (dark blue)","offer_id":50886715212117,"sku":"","price":30.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"€20 Small: brighter colour (dark blue)","offer_id":50887019397461,"sku":"","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/bovenaanzicht5.png?v=1749146118"},{"product_id":"magneet-zitbank-middelkerke-westende","title":"Magnet: Middelkerke - Westende bench","description":"\u003cp\u003e🎉 \u003cstrong\u003eNew in Middelkerke: the iconic bench, now as a magnet!\u003c\/strong\u003e 🧲💙\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone knows them: the distinctive white-and-blue benches on the Middelkerke promenade. They're the spot for a break with a sea view — and now you can take one home! 🌊☀️\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the success of our miniature version in 3 sizes, we now have \u003cstrong\u003ea magnetic first\u003c\/strong\u003e: the same bench, but as a \u003cstrong\u003emagnet\u003c\/strong\u003e! Perfect for the fridge, as an original gift, or simply to hold on to that lovely holiday feeling. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTip\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cem\u003eas an extra bit of handiness you can slide a (thin) pen or pencil between the armrests — so you always have something to write with when you clip a shopping or to-do list under your magnet 😉\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"'t Driedeetje","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51073669300565,"sku":null,"price":10.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0950\/1507\/6181\/files\/front.png?v=1751828859"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.driedeetje.be\/en\/collections\/zitbank.oembed","provider":"'t Driedeetje","version":"1.0","type":"link"}