K’wil color

A few months ago, for the K’willeminkleur collection, we were looking for a nice location to photograph all our candlesticks and tables in colour.
With photographer Maureen Brinkhof and friend and marketing specialist (how handy!) Suus Diepeveen, we went looking for a house that suited our style. Soon we arrived at Suzanne’s colourful house of Scandinavian Disco.
We had an incredibly cosy and productive afternoon. We took photos in every nook and cranny, right down to the bathroom!

That our collection, and the beautiful story behind it, had made an impression became clear when Suzanne contacted us because she wanted to write a blog about us, super fun of course!

The blog of ‘The home Styleclub’ is now online and we would love to let you read along.

Tip from Suzanne: Dare to mix and match. It’s okay to ‘sand’ a bit in your home. That makes your interior interesting to look at and it will not get boring any time soon.

Blog ‘The home style club’:

In the section Mooi(e) Makers, we introduce you to Dutch designers who make your interior more beautiful with their creations. How do they work? Where do they get their inspiration? And what makes their collection so special? This time in the spotlight: the special metal products by K’willeminhuis.

Airy, simple and a touch imperfect. These are the hallmarks of K’willeminhuis’s objects. Tables, candlesticks and baskets; all have a ‘wonky’ shape. A wobbly interplay of lines that stands for authenticity and craftsmanship. Piece by piece, these interior items are handmade by people distanced from the labour market. Led by Jolanda van Soest, they set to work. It doesn’t matter who, what or how you are. Making a beautiful product is nice and gives you a sense of pride.’

Social entrepreneurship

Namesake Willem Bakker and his daughter Esther started the company in 2016. With his background as a plumber, his perseverance and hard work, Willem was able to make everything Esther came up with. At the time, he was already assisted by Jolanda’s metal company, where employees with disabilities worked on the products with love and care. About a year and a half ago, Willem retired and Jolanda took over.

Jolanda: ‘For me, K’willeminhuis brings together everything I believe in and stand for. The love for designs, pure materials and pure people. Social entrepreneurship is extremely important to me. For my youngest son, participating in the labour process is not so obvious. That is why it is extra important to me to work for people for whom this is not self-evident either. I am extremely proud of the employees. The steps they make, time and again. The involvement in the creation process is great.’ 

Perfect imperfection 

K’willeminhuis’s designs are very distinctive; they all consist of fixed ingredients that keep recurring. The same thicknesses of iron, similar round shapes and you can see the welds in every item. ‘It is handwork and that should be seen.’ The fragile design is reminiscent of how a child draws something.

The curved, crooked parts create a very distinctive handwriting. The typical ‘wonky’ design comes from founder Willem. ‘Because he could only work with one hand due to his brain infarct, the candlesticks became a bit wobbly. This represents the fortitude and perseverance with which he gave his life a new direction.’

Beautiful basics

K’willeminhuis’ permanent collection consists of a series of versatile products in neutral shades. The candle holders in black, white or silk grey can be used all year round. They look great on a beautifully laid table at Christmas, but also during other months you can combine them with a stack of coffee table books, on a TV cabinet or on a sideboard. You can also go in many directions with the etagere. Fill it with the most delicious sweets for Easter or a birthday party and voilà your festive table is ready.

Colourful design

To the neutral colour palette, K’willeminhuis has recently added a lot of colour. Indeed, K’willeminkleur was recently launched. The mini table, side table and candle holders are now available in four trend colours; fuchsia, light pink, yellow and cobalt blue. These eye-catching colours make each item a real design piece on its own.

The pop of colour gives your interior just that little bit of extra spice. Do you opt for lively fuchsia or sunny yellow? As far as we are concerned, these colours can also be combined well; a cobalt blue side chair and a light pink mini table make a nice contrast. So mix and match it merrily!

K’willeminhouse also in the garden

The product line suitable for outdoors was lovingly renamed K’willemindetuin. These objects have a special finish that allows them to stay outside in all weathers and last a long time. Simplicity and simplism are key. ‘The designs stand out but do not draw all the attention to themselves. They reinforce and support the framework set by the garden designer.’ The garden bench, garden vase and garden lamprey look dashing and dreamy. With their organic and subtle shape, they seem to merge into the garden.