Piet Hein Eek
Story

In Germany, he is so little-known that you won’t even find an article about him on Wikipedia – although some of his furniture has made its way into the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Consequently, we think it’s time to dedicate a story to Piet Hein Eek – the king of recycling scrap wood.
Do you know Piet Hein Eek? No? But probably his furniture. Yes, the furniture made of old, colourful planks coming from houses fit for demolition. Shabby chic combined with upcycling. Invented by Eek? Well, actually he’s been around for so much longer.
Eek uses materials that tell stories about past lives – lived in old houses or relinquished workshops. His kind-hearted spirit can be noticed in each and every of his projects.

„I started puzzling and piling up pieces of wood. And it was totally new. Nobody had used scrap wood for domestic purposes.“

His studio, which ranges over 10.000 square metres, can be found at an old brick factory in Eindhoven. This factory once was a ceramic manufacturing plant by Philips, the king of electronics – before they moved their production to low-wage countries.
And in the midst of it all: Piet Hein Eek, master of discarded things such as scrap wood and planks, old metal or doors that have seen better times. Eek has a way of combining all these materials to chairs, tables or cupboards, using a beautiful and innovative patchwork style.
As the circular saws start singing their shrieking songs, the smell of wood and sawdust begins to sprawl. The colourful furniture always reminds of flotsam that can be found at the beach after a stormy night.

„In Holland we have a tradition of recycling and have huge places where all the old wood is stacked. I thought this was so beautiful.“

If you cannot get enough of Eek’s furniture, we have good news for you: the array of products is continuously growing. From chairs, cupboards and beds to kitchens, wallpapers and glamourous chandeliers made of recycled Murano glass. The FAZ even wrote: “The treasure has been enlightened.”

But who is Piet Hein Eek?

We met him at his office, only separated from his staff by a shelf. A friendly and straightforward designer who does his own work. “With how many designers do you work together to accomplish all of that?!”, we asked. “None”, he answered, “I do everything myself.” He only needs a small desk and a drawing board. Surrounded by piles of paper, memorabilia and old toys, he designs and drafts all day long to fulfil even the most individual customer requests.

„If you think back in history, when industrialisation happened, it was suddenly possible to make thousands or millions of identical products. But of course, if everything becomes perfect, people like to have something that is imperfect.“

We like his casual nature, his furniture, his ideas, his vitreous workshop with its brawly production and, of course, his restaurant which serves burgers made with homemade bread – as honest as himself. We love his interpretation of casual luxury and naturally made an order during our visit at his office. A 3.60 metres-long table made of scrap wood, several lamps, a bench, scrap wood chairs, display cabintes, a desk made of painted metal and more. Every piece is one of its kind. Sometimes the board is a little darker, sometimes you will encounter a little more patina. No shape, no colour, no piece of furniture is the same. If you purchase one of Eek’s products, you will get your own individual piece of furniture. From now on, you can also take a look at Eek’s collection at our shop.

„When I graduated, Minimalism was fashionable. We did the opposite.“

A renowned German newspaper once called Eek “Plank Piet”. No, this is not what he deserves.