Design fair OBJECT will take place in Centrale Bibliotheek-building

After a successful edition in the heart of the city last year in AIR, OBJECT Rotterdam will once again open its doors in a special location right in the city centre. From 6 to 8 February, the design fair will be hosted in the iconic Central Library building on the Hoogstraat. Due to its temporary relocation to Librijesteeg, the iconic building opposite the Market Hall will be vacant since mid-January, pending a large-scale renovation.

At the end of November, the Central Library on Hoogstraat closed its doors to move to nearby premises on Librijesteeg for three years. Monday 19 January 2026, the Central Library will reopen on Librijesteeg. A grand opening for all city residents will follow on Sunday afternoon, 25 January.

OBJECT takes place more often in unusual locations. From Las Palmas and De Rotterdam to the iconic Euromast, the SS Rotterdam, HAKA building and last edition in AIR the former V&D. Dozens of designers have already signed up, from young talents to established names, emerging design labels and well-known furniture brands. They will bring the central floors of the building back to life with a selection of interior products, textile designs, light artworks and artistic objects. Anne van der Zwaag, director OBJECT: "It is incredibly special to be able to open the fair in the city's largest living room, a place that has meant so much to countless Rotterdammers in recent decades."

Major overhaul

After more than forty years, the Central Library is being renovated and the well-known building is getting a major facelift. Rotterdam architecture firm Powerhouse Company, together with Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem and DELVA landscape architecture, signed for the sustainable renovation, a joint project of the Municipality of Rotterdam and Rotterdam Library. The renovation will start during 2026, with the renovated Central Library to be opened and put into use in 2029. Meanwhile, the library will move to its temporary location in Librijesteeg, around the corner from the current building, where it will open its doors on 19 January 2026. The Hoogstraat, directly opposite the Market Hall, will host design fair OBJECT from 6 to 8 February. Alice Vlaanderen, director of the Rotterdam Library: "We have already moved to Librijesteeg in February, but the renovation work on the Hoogstraat has not yet started. Fantastic that this leading fair can use our vacant building in the meantime and a celebration of creativity can take place one more time before the renovation."

Cover photo: Stijn Brakkee