It all started with a phonecall in June: ABN AMRO was looking for designers to come up with a sustainable solution for everyday situations, and if we could pitch an idea in July?

Since our House of Thol slogan is 'Durable products for easy green living' of course we had to participate!
We had a few ideas up our sleeve that could perhaps impact a marker like Earth Overshoot Day.

We took a close look at our own day-to-day and found plenty of things that we still can do better.
​One of the things that's a real problem, is food waste: with two young kids with fluctuating appetites in the house, we can't help but throw out food ever so often.
Such a waste! Not only because of the money, but also because of the resources we waste.

And this goes beyond our household: in the Netherlands we throw out 34 kilograms of food each per year, and globally one third of the food produced is wasted.
That's about 1.3 billion tons!
​
If we could save only a quarter of that amount, we could feed every hungry mouth in the world (source). 

Bringing it back to our own small household: what can we do to avoid food waste in our daily lives?
We noticed we often have trouble with fruits and vegetables: what is the best way to store them, so they stay fresh for longest and we don't have to throw out wrinkled bell peppers?

Turns out not every fruit and vegetable plays nice with others, so keeping them all together in one large fruit bowl might not be such a great idea: the ethylene coming from fruits like apples can negatively impact the taste or ripeness of other fruits in the bowl.
Anyway, learning about the best way to store fresh food involved a whole lot of research (spreadsheets, seriously) that deserves its own blog post soon.

Back to the process: We presented our plans in Amsterdam in July and the day after our meeting with the jurors we drove off to the Schwarzwald in a 42°c heat and two eager little boys in a car without airconditioning.

We spent two blissful weeks of summer break, and got the phonecall with the final go for our Poma/Olera project while en route.

These past months, ever since returning home from our break, have been all about Poma/Olera. 

The design changed somewhat from the first drafts and we created a series of round vessels specifically designed to store fruits and vegetables in a better way.

The making process involved a lot of sketching,computer drawing, 3d printing, mold making, clay casting, finishing, failing, doing it again, changing the molds, recasting, firing the kiln, glazing tests, new glazing tests, production, production, production.
​
Well, your typical design process, really.

We're super happy and proud to be able to showcase the first prototypes of our Poma/Olera series at the Game Changers Pavilion on the Ketelhuisplein during this Dutch Design Week.
We'd love to see you there!

Last weekend we spent 4 days in sunny The Hague at chique art/design festival 'Masterly The Hague' - Not only was the festival taking place in a beautiful setting, we were blessed with great weather and many enthusiastic and lovely visitors!

We were super happy with the great presentation of our work: the bathtub being flanked by this gorgeous 1930ties silk Kimono that was on loan from the Gemeentemuseum The Hague, and the over all high quality athmosphere at Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder.
Also not too bad to share a room with skillfull glass artist Geir Nustad and be a temporary direct neighbor of Orange or Red, Bibi Smit and Thed Konings.

And, lest i forget: we worked together with Ceramist Henriette Meijer to create a stylish floral setting at the entrance of Museum Bredius.

Since we were pretty much talking all the time, we didn't get to take that many photographs. 
Luckily plenty of others did!
Here's a few of the pictures we found online. All images link back to the photographer or account we found them.

Thank you Nicole Uniquole and the Masterly The Hague organisation for a lovely festival!  

Summer might not even be officially over yet, With the fall tradefairs all taking place this month, the Holiday Season already started in retail-land!

Because we're very familiar with the challenges involved with designing and marketing your own products, we created a 'Get it at the Creatives' gift guide filled with affordable Dutch Design.

Check it out, because all these creatives are still out there making beautiful things that you should definitely add to your wishlist!

Since we first launched the Flower Constellations, we've been lucky enough to be featured in quite a few publications, both on the web as well as in print.

Because we're super proud of these mentions, we've dedicated a webpage to them -an online cutting file, so you will-, on which we've made an overview of all Flower Constellations publications we could find.

= Check it out here =

Whenever we need photographs of our designs, we turn to one very talented lady: Masha Bakker Matijevic of Masha Bakker Photography.

I've known Masha since high school, yet that's not the main reason why we love working with her: with her keen eye for lighting and composition, she always delivers gorgeous and timeless pictures that are ready to share.

Our last photoshoot was last spring and i wanted to take a moment to share the lovely series she shot of our Flower Constellations as well as the Ophiuchus & Helios constellation.

Interested in using these photographs in a publication? Everything and more can be found in high resolution in our image bank. Get in touch for a log-in!

Please note: We're happy for you to share our work and photographs, however, please mention the source and photographer.

Here at House of Thol headquarters we have quite a versatile workload: We might be stylishly setting up a floral arrangement for a photoshoot one moment and be sanding a wooden door the next.
Building cabinets, designing packaging, managing social media, preparing Waterworks-sets, producing terracotta cones, packing webshop orders, reaching out to partners, developing concepts and writing blog posts: it's all in a days' work.

Thomas and i have been happily sharing this work between the two of us, but now time has come for us to learn how to delegate.
That's why we're looking for TWO interns!  ​

Do you want to know what it takes to run an independent design brand?
Curious to experience how it works to design and market your own products as well as working together with brands and manufacturers?
​
Come see how we do it at House of Thol headquarters. We'd love to take you along for the ride!

We're looking for two positive people for the following internship positions:

You'll be working hands-on with Thomas on production, prototyping and model making.

You speak Dutch or English and love spending time in the workshop.
You're inquisitive, won't back down from a challenge and like to learn new skills. 
You'll work with a variety of materials and techniques, ranging from casting porcelain and terracotta to 3D-printing, woodworking and construction.
Knowledge of 3D modeling software would be great.

You'll be working closely with Jana on marketing, sales, pr and all things visual, including content development for website and social media.

You're adequate in English and preferably Dutch.
Social media has very little secrets for you. You love to create beautiful image and write fun, informative posts.
You're happy to communicate with shops and customers as well as with journalists and magazines from around the world.   
Knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign (or similar programs) would be appreciated.

Interested in being an intern at House of Thol?
Great!
Send your Dutch or English application with CV to home@houseofthol.nl 
Any questions or remarks? Don't hesitate to get in touch!

We'll ask you to be at House of Thol headquarters (Parksesteeg 8, Overasselt) from Monday to Thursday 09:30-17:00.
During fairs and exhibitions it would be great if you could join us on site if needed.

After weeks of summer adventures and waking up without an alarm clock, we brushed the boys' hair this morning and dropped them off at school with suntanned faces eager for a fresh year.

Recharged and with our hands freed again, we're ready to take on the coming months.
We might as well... there's loads to be done!

To get the new season off to a running start, we've set up a Back to School discount of 10%!

So get your Waterworks sets now and keep those plants alive, start growing your avocado tree, get yourself a Flower Constellation to stylishly arrange the cut flowers from your garden (even the ones with thicker stems) or simply stock up on presents for upcoming birthdays!

To receive the 10% discount, use code 'BacktoSchool19' at check-out and ten percent will be deducted from the total amount of your order.

The discount code is valid on all products up to September 8th.

We're super excited that only one year after we launched them, the Flower Constellations are now available in the United States of America!!! Yeah!!

Uncommon Goods, webshop for unique gifts, home decor and more, picked up on our design a while ago, and after we sent over a few samples, the sales team gave their go and we shipped the first batch to the US right before our summer break.

So for all of you lovely people living in the US who can use a stylish tool for stellar flower arrangements or are looking for a flowery gift for a loved one , head over to UncommonGoods.com and order Flower Constellations now!

Not living in the US?
Our products are now being sold in 13 different countries around the world, so with a bit of luck there might be a store near you!
Check out our Store Locator for more information.

Although our summer break was cut short because of the opportunity of a sudden assignment that we didn't want to miss (more about that later, i promise!), we still had two long weeks to unwind and relax.

Our last-minute planning brought us to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in Germany, a mere 5,5 hour drive from the headquarters.

We landed on a wonderful campground right next to a stream and a little waterfall. and together with the boys spent hours on well-made playgrounds and adventure trails such as the Black Forest Treetop walk (with a large slide going down) and a Barefoot path where we got to got to walk over pieces of broken glass (still pretty sharp).
We clambered accross Germanies' largest waterfall and walked a 60 meters high suspension bridge that slightly swayed in the wind.

Of course we had to play a round of adventure golf (guess who struck a hole-in-one) and we somehow visited two places where people were extremely serious about model-trains as well as to a museum of clocks, vintage cars and vintage vending machines (because what else in Germany on a rainy day).

This September will mark the second edition of Masterly Den Haag.
Masterly started out as a festival celebrating Dutch high craft in Amsterdam, and over the past years became a Dutch staple of the Fuori Salone programme during the furniture fair in Milan in April.

Nicole Uniquole, the initiator and driving force behind Masterly, has a love for things that are well made: both now and in history.
Situating contemporary Dutch Design in a classical environment creates an interesting tension between the 'now' and the 'then'.  The beautiful locations she uses as a backdrop are always worth your visit.

We're super happy to be part of the Masterly Festival this year, and proud to be coupled with the painting Jan van Ravesteyn made of Amalia van Somst.
​
Amalia came to Den Haag as a refugee at 17 and went on to marry Stadtholder Frederik Hendrik, thus becoming the original matriarch of our Dutch Royal family of Orange.
​In her married life, lady van Solms worked towards elevating the position of her husband and family.
​She showcased her collection of paintings and porcelain in refurbished or newly built grand houses and palaces with lush gardens.

In 1641, Amalia married her son Willem II to young Mary Henrietta Stuart, Princess Royal, making grandson Willem (William) III a true prince of Orange who would become monarch of England, Scotland and Wales in later life (but not without a battle).  

As lovers of Flowers, we're drawn to the beautifull embroidery lady van Solms is depicted wearing: showcasing the long love the Dutch Royal family has for flowers. 
A perfect match with our Flower Constellations!
Did you know descendant and namesake Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, has a tulip named after her?

Summer is a time for fun and adventures!

Since our children highly appreciate our company when they're not in school to share said fun and adventures, we've planned for a little time off during the dog days.

From July 26th until August 9th we'll be out of the office. E-mail will be read sporadically. All webshop-orders placed during our break will be shipped upon our return in August.
For super-important things that definitely can not wait, send us a message via text or WhatsApp.

Sisters Astrid and Linda, both creative minds, have put their love for all things beautiful and special to digital paper with their blog 'No Ordinary Tales'. 
On it, they share DIY's, recipes and all creative things they come up with. Once every while, they share the work of a fellow creative entrepreneur or creative hotspots to visit.

We're super excited Linda and Astrid wrote a lovely piece about our Flower Constellations last week. Thank you so much for sharing!
You can read the full post here.
It's in Dutch, but even if you don't speak the language, their photographs are worth your click!

Father's Day is around the corner! 
And although it might seem all fathers need new Americana accessories for their BBQ, we know for a fact many dads love to let things grow.

That's why we busted our behinds to get the Helios out there in time: the new durable tool to help you grow your pits, bulbs and cuttings on water.
Read all about our Helios Constellation here.

Is your dad more of a houseplant fan?
Why not gift him a Waterworks-set to help keep his indoor greenery happy and healthy.

But that's not actually what this post is about: As a little something extra, we added a few new Father/Family-themed Growing Cards to our collection.

With these cards, you're not only sending your dad a sweet message, you'll also give him something to grow.

The cards have been printed on Growing paper that contains wildflower seeds.
To germinate the seeds, lay the paper in moist soil, place in a sunny spot, cover with a thin layer of earth and keep moist. 
Depending on the kind of seed in the paper, you'll see the first tiny green leaves pop out of the earth after about ten days.

This Helios Constellation might be the latest addition to the Flower Constellation family, its idea is actually what started it all.

Years ago we designed a pit-frame that would fit a variaty of jars and glassware, and would make it easy to sprout pits and bulbs.
​Out of our hands, the idea got shelved by the large Dutch Gardencentre company that took to it at first. 

Helios lets you stylishly grow your cuttings and pits into a water-rooted leafy plant and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the plant in full: both the sprouting leaves leaning towards the sun as well as roots branching out to soak up water and nutrients.  

Read all about Helios here.

Don't forget: order one for that special dad this week and get a free Growing Card with our Fathers' Day special - read all about it here.

We sent out two newsletters today!
One in Dutch and one in English, of course about our new Flower Constellation XL: Ophiuchus.

Didn't receive anything? Don't worry, read them here!
Also, don't want to miss anything in the future?
​Sign up now!

​Ophiuchus or 'Snakebearer' is called the thirteenth star sign, because, just as the 12 signs of the Zodiac, it crosses the sun's path (Ecliptica).
The official period of Ophiuchus would be between November 30th and December 18th.