Check out this beautiful piece on acclaimed Italian design website 'La casa in ordine'.

For obvious reasons the piece is in Italian, which might pose a challenge, but i invite you to take a look anyway, as editor Roberta del Vaglio chose a wonderful selection of photographs.

Click on the screenshot or <here> to visit the La casa in ordine website and see the full piece.

Without the images, the original answers to the english interview can be found <here>.

It took until crossing the Italian border for me to finally believe it would actually happen: House of Thol at The Dutch pavilion / Masterly Milano during this special Super Salone in September.

Setting foot in Palazzo Turati with our work situated in the most exquisitely decorated 'Sale Nobili' of the palace was amazing, even with two boisterous boys to keep in check and needing time to get used to the mandatory facemask again.

We quickly got accustomed to the decor and facemasks and as soon as Thomas and i finished the set-up, i jumped straight into exhibition mode. For over a week, i was part of the boardrooms' furniture from 11:00 till 20:00, presenting our products to design-lovers from Italy and the rest of the world.​  

In their 5th year at the Salone, the Masterly organization managed to attract attention of almost every large media outlet. ​During the week, Nicole Uniquole, 'Ms Masterly', would whirlwind through the exhibition to make sure everything would remain top-notch for her many high-end contacts. And tireless press tiger Giuseppina Flor was impressively fast and thorough with her press tours.

​There were times i felt like a broken record, telling the same story behind our Patera Magna to a gazillion different people. But with nothing but positive responses it was easy to keep the energy up and tell an enthusiastic story each and every time.

Luckily i got to spend my days in the palazzo in the great company of Fransje Gimbrère, Selma Hamstra, Geir Nustad and (for a couple of days only, unfortunately) Rive Roshan.
What also kept my spirit up tremendously, was the amazing weather we experienced the whole week: nothing but blue skies and a lovely 28 degrees celsius. 

The presence of our new French friend Judith, tasked to keep an eye on the room, made an enormous difference.
​With her ability to speak French and Italian (next to English), she often translated my story for Italian or French visitors who found it a lot easier to be spoken to in their native language.

​As always, it was a lot of fun to connect with other designers and creative entrepreneurs showcasing their work, and we were super happy with the lovely floral facemasks we received as a gift from the sweet Twan & Cole of MondiArt.

While i was in the Palazzo, Thomas spent his days with the boys, homeschooling them and exploring the city or visiting Lake Como. He even took them to the Mediterranean beach for two days and treated me to pictures of palm trees and sunshine.

I worried our boys, being used to space and nature, would not be suited for life in a big city. But they handled themselves admirably, never complained about the facemasks and even almost managed to stick to the middle of the sidewalk next to the busy roads.
They developed a love for city parks and spent many hours there, seeking treasures and blowing off steam in the playgrounds.

With the kids in tow, we did not get to visit parties or hang out in the bar after exhibition hours. But with the long hours in the Palazzo, i don't think i would have survived the week if it hadn't been for our early family nights.

​Although the exhibition was still tainted by Covid, with mandatory facemasks, green passes to enter + a cap on the number of people allowed in the palace, everybody was mostly happy we were there and the design world was opening up again.

Looking forward to the next show....
See you at Piet Hein Eek during the DDW!
(this time we will be allowed to sell during the fair ;-))​  

With the upcoming Salone del Mobile we'll all be in Milan next week. Driving by car, we'll leave on Tuesday August 31st and are planning to arrive back at the headquarters on September 12th.

Thomas and I will be pretty busy while we're in Milan, but will try to check our e-mail regularly.
However, do not expect an immediate answer. If things are not super pressing, we'll probably get back to you in the week of September 13th.

​Can't wait to hear from us?
Reaching out via What's app usually gets the quickest response. 

​All orders in the webshop will be shipped upon our return on September 13th.

This has been almost two years in the making, and with two weeks to go before we are due to arrive in Milano, I'm still having difficulty picturing us back near the Duomo after such a long time.

Yet, the venue is booked, appartment has been arranged, the car is getting a pre-travel check-up and new catalogues were printed.
With such little time to go, we are now stressing out over last minute presentation improvements and indispensible things we should definitely not forget to put on transport in time.

Although we might not meet the international crowd we were hoping for when we booked our spot two years ago, we are looking forward to being part of a new dawn and the design world opening up again.

For a jubilant 5th time, Masterly showcases a rich mixture of design, art, photography and craftsmanship in the extravagantly decorated Palazzo Francesco Turati.

Come visit the palazzo and immerse yourself in fresh Dutch Design and exquisite artistry by a varied bunch of Designers and artisans. 
We are looking forward to sharing the decorated boardroom with Rive/Roshan, Studio Fransje Gimbrère and glass artisans Studio Selma Hamstra and Geir Nustad.
And that is just one room in the Palazzo, check out the Masterly website for all participants.

We'll be showcasing Waterworks, the new Flower Constellations, Helios growth disks, the circular ReCabinet and of course our Poma/Olera series. 
Are you visiting the Salone and come by the Dutch Pavilion in the city centre?
Let us know when you are there so we are sure not to miss you!

Masterly Dutch Pavilion @ Palazzo Francesco Turati
Via Meravigli 7, Milano

Opening hours 5-10 September
Sun 5 + Mon 6: 11:00 - 20:00
Tue 7: 11:00 - 17:00 (VIP Event in the evening)
Wed 8 + Thu 9: 11:00 - 20:00
Fri 10: 11:00 - 16:00

NB Press preview: Fri 3 + Sat 4 September, 15:00 - 19:00
<Register for a Press Preview appointment: press@masterly.nu>

Did you know the people behing Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie also started a branch of gardening stores a while ago?

Terrain has garden centers across the US with a curated assortment of plants for all seasons, as well as inspired items for the home and garden.
Situated in luxurious indoor-outdoor environments, the on-site nurseries are each flanked by a cafe and garden terrace, providing the ideal environment to host events and workshops.
Aside from their larger centres, Terrain also has in-store locations at several Anthropologie shops.

We're quite proud that Terrain recently added Waterworks to their collection.
A new batch is about to be shipped overseas, so all US-based readers: order your Waterworks-set now!

<Click to order Waterworks on Terrain> / <Find Terrain locations here>

In the midst of our Dutch 'intelligent lockdown' we suddenly found ourselves in The Hague, albeit virtually.

The morning started with a frantic connection dance trying to get the video-calling to work, but by 11:00 we were all set for The Call.
Not just any call: The Call with Minister Sigrid Kaag for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

We were honoured that Minister Kaag would take the time to have a little chat with us about the way we're impacted by the current situation, and in a graceful way officially pronounced us winners of the MKB Export Award.

Such a special moment!
Thank you to all parties involved: MKB Nederland, RVO, TNT, Language institute Regina Coeli and of course the Dutch Ministery of Foreign Affairs.

And we even managed to take a photograph with the minister. or.. kind of... 

The Jury of the MKB Export Award says in its (Dutch) press release we won because of the "beautiful combination of Dutch Design, sustainability and practical usability, that will do especially well abroad".

As a winner of the MKB Export Award we're receiving:
- A €15.000,- transport credit with TNT - giving us access to the worldwide shipping network on the road and in the air of TNT and FedEx Express.
- A one-year membership of MKB Nederland
- A Language course at language Institute Regina Coeli
- A Business Partner scan by RVO Netherlands  
And of course the exposure and PR attention that comes with winning this award.

Thank you very much MKB Export Award!
​We're aiming to work hard and make the most of the opportunities you're giving us.

Although winning the MKB Export Award in the middle of a global pandemic might not be ideal timing, we're confident that we will be able to share our work with the rest of the world, even if we couldn't make it to Milan this year. 

​In the conversation Minister Kaag mentioned possibilities of virtual trade missions. Which is something we would be very open towards. Not only at this moment of worldwide lockdowns, but also as a way to avoid unnecessary airtravel in the future.

With all large fairs cancelled, most prominently the Salone Del Mobile, it would be great if we could come up with an alternative to getting Dutch Designs out to the world.

The pandemic will probably influence our lives for the year to come, but with many countries adapting and economies re-opening all over the world, we're confident we'll be able to make good use of the award prizes.

We are looking forward to working closely with all parties involved to take the next steps and get the Sustainable House of Thol collection out there to a worldwide audience, making green living easier all over the globe.

<Read the official (Dutch) press release by the MKB Export Award here>

Download our press releases here:
<NEDERLANDS> // <ENGLISH>

For a while there we were hoping we could just hold tight for a few months and everything would be back to normal...
By now we are well aware this will take a bit longer to overcome, but we're not deterred in our international mission and signed right up for the Salone Del Mobile in Milan next year.

We are setting our sights to a new spring when the world will be slowly getting back to -what we hope will be a greener and more sustainable- new reality.

So hang in there.
We're looking forward to seeing you at the Palazzo in April 2021! 

Ok, officially it's not summer from June 16th to 21st, but the weather will hopefully be sunny and bright around the summer solstice.

With nothern Italy being one of the first Covid-19 epicentres of Europe, all major events for the coming months have been cancelled or postponed.
As is the Salone Del Mobile, originally planned April 20-26th, it was rescheduled two months later, to June.

Let´s hope the virus will have withered out when the temperatures start to rise and in June we'll have nothing more to worry about in Milan than where to get the best antipasti in town. 

Being born and raised in Loon op Zand, where the first official Dutch patient is from, and with a large part of my family living there, Covid-19 is already closer to me personally than i had hoped.

The fast spread of the virus is worrying, but the spread of the fear surrounding it, might be more dangerous still.
We're quite remote at the headquarters so it'll be business as usual here.  
We had a small delay with a brass delivery from Hong Kong, but thus far, that's all we noticed.

We're hopefull that come June, we'll indeed be enjoying a Milan summer breeze! Looking forward to seeing you there!

As House of Thol we design the things we need: durable products that help us with a sustainable and green daily life. 
We're super excited that products so close to our own heart receive such an enthusiastic response from all over the world. 

These past years we've expanded our portfolio and purposely created products that are functional, durable, affordable, gift-worthy and ready to ship all over the world.

​Slowly but steadily our reputation for easy green design is growing, both within the Netherlands as well as beyond our country's borders.
​We're ready to accelerate that growth by purposely setting our sights to our neighbouring country: Germany.

We've had a great German test-run during Passagen Cologne this January. It was the enthusiastic responses of the Cologne crowd that made us decide to participate in the MKB Export Award 2019: an extra push would come at the perfect time!

The winner of the MKB export Award will not only receive a year long membership of MKB Nederland and a RVO business scan, but also a €15.000,- export cheque by TNT Netherlands and a language course at the 'nuns of Vught': language institute Regina Coeli.   ​

From the 125 submissions we made it to the last 9, and after a visit at the House of Thol headquarters of a small committee, we are now part of the top 3!

The winner of the award will be anounced at the 'Klaar voor de start? Export!'-event in Vught on March 19th.
​We'll be keeping our fingers crossed... and keep you updated!

Anthurium are lovely flowering plants with an exotic origin that are grown in all types and varieties in greenhouses across the Netherlands.
The plant is a great air purifier, with long lasting flowers coming in a large variety of shapes and colors.

Anthurium.info was created to showcase the many beautiful Anthurium species cultivated by Dutch breeders.
The website doesn't only offer information about all kinds of Anthurium in 4 (FOUR) languages, it also aims to inspire with original content about anything that has to do with caring for and styling with Anthurium.
Read about the sustainability of Anthuriums, how to best care for the plants or learn how to create an Anthurium Kokedama. 
​A visit to Anthurium.info is definitely worth your time!

We're super happy floral designer Bob wrote a lovely piece about our Flower Constellations and how to use them.
Check it out here in <English> / <Dutch> / <German> / <French>

The one downside to being at Passagen (click) in Cologne, was that we couldn't also be at Maison & Objet in Paris, taking place around the same time a few hundred kilometers away.

It would have been great to be in Paris while our friends from Ay Illuminate launched the new bamboo versions of the Wren & Kiwi lamps.
We worked our hands to the bone finishing the series in time for the show and are super happy with the response so far/

What we love most about the Wren and Kiwi lamps is that they're all handmade in the Netherlands with sustainable materials.

The series started out with perforated strips of recycled aluminum, which turns a surprisingly sustainable corporate material into an unexpected warm glowing centerpiece.

The new bamboo lamps added to the series are more of a bridge between the contemporary first series and the airy eclectic athmosphere Ay Illuminate is so well known for.  

The lamps are out now via Ay Illuminate, and will be added to our website and -shop soon.

We're bringing all Wren and Kiwi's with us to Object Rotterdam and are hoping to be able to shoot a few nice pictures in the gorgeous industrial HAKA building.

​We'll update the website and add more photographs soon!

It was a first for us: being part of the Designers' Fair during Passagen 2020 in Cologne. And truth be told: we didn't know what to expect from the exhibition and whether we'd have to be there all days.

Well, we soon found out that we shouldn't miss a day.  
We loved the response of the Cologne visitors, and got to brush up on our German while getting away with english most of the time.

We presented our Flower Constellations, Waterworks and Poma/Olera series during the fair, and all our designs were very well received by an attentive audience that's very much into sustainable living.
​
So well indeed, that we've set our sights on Germany once again. We're so close to the border, we might as well hop over it, once in a while. After all, Germany is still part of the EU... So we went ahead and signed ourselves up for the MKB Export Award again. We'll keep you posted about that adventure!

Here to the right there's another picture of our exhibition on the first day, and above a photograph of the (inside of the) lovely designed shopwindow at Salon Zwei.

Thank you Claudia! We had a blast and will definitely be back in Germany.
Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Passagen Interior Design Week Cologne is Germany's largest design event. It's pretty much the 'Fuori Salone' event of the huge IMM furnishings fair that takes place in the Koelnmesse in the same week.

A few years ago we met sweet Claudia Schaaf during the Dutch Design Week and she invited us to showcase our work in her lovely Salon Zwei during Passagen 2016, as part of the Ehrenfeld Design Parcours. 
​
With a taste for Dutch Design, Claudia presented a different Dutch Designer in her shop during Passagen every year for the past 6 years, and now it's time to bring it together.

For this years' Passagen, Claudia teamed up with Buro Sabine Voggenreiter to curate an exhibition about Dutch Design at the Designers Fair at the Pattenhalle in Ehrenfeld. 
We're super happy to be part of the line-up that also includes Studio Lorier, Foekje Fleur, Nord Interior Design and Mo Man Tai​.

But that's not all! Our designs will also be part of the colorful 'We love Dutch Design' presentation at Claudia's homebase Salon Zwei. 
And from Passagen onward, Salon Zwei will be a House of Thol vendor!

Dutch Design Cologne revisited
Passagen Designers Fair @ Pattenhalle
Christianstrasse 82
50825 Koeln - Ehrenfeld

Open 13 - 19 January
Mon-Wed: 12:00 - 20:00
Thursday: 12:00 - 23:00 - drinks from 18:00
Fri-Sat: 12:00 - 20:00
Sunday: 12:00 - 18:00

6 years Dutch Design
Salon Zwei
Gutenbergstrasse 2
50823 Koeln - Ehrenfeld

Open 13 - 19 January
Mon-Fri: 12:00 - 19:00
Sat-Sun: 12:00 - 16:00
NB drinks on Thursday 16.1 from 18:00

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.

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 participated in the MKB Export Award 2018 and are part of the Top 9!

The MKB Export Award is organised for the 6th year in a row by TNT Netherlands, The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) and Royal Organisation MKB-Nederland.
Of the more than 100 contestants, the Jury nominated us and 8 other companies. 
​
The winner will be revealed during the event 'Klaar voor de start? Export! ("Ready? Get set! Export!) on Tuesday March 19th 2019.

Who knows, we might be succeeding last years' winner Anne Pleun van Eijsden of 'On the Rocks' and go home with the prize: amongst others a transport cheque and business partner scan!

It all started with our participation in the Paris fair Maison&Objet last September, for which we applied for an Export Mission Voucher.

After the fair we got invited to join the MKB Export Award, and since we really think we can conquer the world with our Flower Constellations and can use a little boost to get us going, we applied.

In January we received a phonecall from the organization surprising us with the news we're on the shortlist!
Early February we got to show a small part of the jury around House of Thol headquarters, and tell them all about our designs, projects and plans for the future.
We had a lovely chat, as i'm sure they had with all other eight nominees.

Now all that's left to do is wait..... With our fingers crossed...
We'll keep you posted!

Fleur Magazine is the Belgian professional florists journal and is packed with great advice for anyone running a florist shop as well as pages filled with inspiration, new designs and background information about plants and flowers.

Personally i was pretty impressed with the overall look of the magazine and the articles, that are fun and interesting to read, even for non-florist me.
​
I love how the magazine provides the floral entrepreneurs with hooks and stories that can help sell more flowers and plants.

We are over the moon to be featured in this lovely publication with not only one, but two products. Check it out!
When clicked, the images should enlarge in a lightbox so you can read the actual (Dutch) text. 

When you place an order in our webshop, our goal is to always have it out the door within 48 hours.
 
Orders placed on Friday and in the Weekends are dropped off at the post office the following Monday.

For shipment wihthin the Netherlands we rely on PostNL, which is usually fairly quick:
Both letters and packages are normally delivered the next working day.

Waterworks and Waterworks cones are always shipped as a package (because well... they don't fit in a letter slot).
Flower Constellations are either shipped as a letter (1 or 2 pcs), a package with or without track 'n trace code (3 pcs and up), or as a mailbox package for 3-6 pcs within the Netherlands only. 

Shipping costs vary depending on weight and destination and are calculated in the shop. 
To give you an idea, we've made this handy overview.
 
​Got any questions about shipment or would like to upgrade to express? 
Send us an e-mail and we'll get back to you at our earliest convenience.

Netherlands  1 to 2 working days
Belgium  letters: 5-8 wdays / track 'n trace package: 1-2 wdays
Denmark letters: 4-7 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 3-4 wdays
Germany  letters: 5-8 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 2-3 wdays
France  letters: 5-10 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 2-3 wdays
UK  letters: 5-9 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 2-3 wdays
Sweden letters: 5-8 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 2-3 wdays
US letters: 7-11 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 3-6 wdays
Canada letters: 9-13 wdays /  track 'n trace package: 5-8 wdays
Your country not mentioned? Here's the full list of PostNL 

This coming Weekend the Flower Constellations will have their national debut at Dutch tradefair ShowUP, which is by all means a great fair that definitely  attracts professionals from abroad as well as the Netherlands. 

A great way for us to test the waters before diving in the deep end: Maison & Objet in Paris.
THE international tradefair that takes place at Paris Nord Villepinte every 6 months and attracts business from across the planet.

​We actually visited the fair for the first time a year ago, back when Pols Potten chose Paris for the Thol lamps launch.
​At the time we were thoroughly overwhelmed by the magnitude of hall after hall of designs ready to hit the shelves from Texas to Jakarta.

We definitely did not think for a minute we'd be exhibiting our own products there anytime soon.

Yet we are!
Dutch Design Collections approached us in early spring to see if we would be interested in taking part in a joint presentation as one of three Dutch independent brands.
Seeing this would be the perfect timing for an international Flower Constellations launch, we happily agreed to participate.

We're super excited (and a bit scared) about this wonderful oppportunity to showcase our designs to shop owners and other professionals from all over the world. 
​
We'd love to see you there.
Visiting M&O? Let us know when, so we can meet!

Maison & Objet
Paris Nord Villepinte

Dutch Design Collections
Hall 4 - stand H.104

7-11 September 2018
Fri-Mon: 09:30 - 19:00
Tue: 09:30 - 18:00

<click for more information>

These last months have been all about getting the Flower Constellations ready in time for them to be shipped to our backers by the end of August. 

Well, the Flower Constellations are packed and will be sent to all early adapters this week.
Time for the next step: spreading the word.

Best place to start and nationally debut the Flower Constellations to stores, press, bloggers and other design loving professionals is undoubtedly ShowUP: trade show for home and gift.

So we're packing up our goodies and will be at the Expo Haarlemmermeer this coming Sunday and Monday (2+3 September).
​
Will we see you there?  

ShowUP
Trade fair for home and gift

Expo Haarlemmermeer
Stelling 1
2141 SB Vijfhuizen

Sunday September 2 2018, 10:00 - 18:00
Monday September 3 2018, 10:00 - 18:00

Only accessible for professionals
​Free entrance after registration

<Click here for more information about the fair>