Discover Benelux | Made in the Netherlands | Dutch Industry and Innovation
The luminous side of wood Hout is Prachtig – wood is beautiful! That is the credo under which Tim Zeeman tries to make the world a better place, one plank at a time. Next to his business in timber furniture, he runs a webshop brimming with joyful wooden objects for the youngsters, made piece-by-piece with his own two hands. Zeeman’s love for wood goes way back. The Dutch carpenter is an expert in constructing timber furniture, but his heart went out to his side-business: making wooden objects that spark children’s imagination. Most popular in his webshop, are the wooden lamps which he creates in a wide range of adorable shapes. His personal favourites are the giraffe and the typical Amsterdam-houses. “Most of my lamps are inspired by what I see in daily life or in the books of my children. When I spot something, I start by creating a prototype to see what it looks like. I only make multiple copies of the best designs to sell them on the website.” Even so, every piece is one-of-a-kind. Zeeman crafts all lamps himself, by hand, so
TEXT: ARNE ADRIAENSSENS | PHOTOS: HOUT IS PRACHTIG
no two of them are exactly alike. If you want to personalise them even more, you can let him add an inscription in the wood: a name or a message, for example. Whatever it takes to make it the perfect, personal souvenir or gift. Many parents, grandparents and godparents adore the items by Hout is Prachtig. Yet, the biggest fans live inside Zeeman’s own house. “My daughters worship these lamps. Their bedroom is starting to look more and more like a showroom.”
Web: www.houtisprachtig.nl
Scent explosions Perfumer and fragrance engineer, Spyros Drosopoulos, wants to tell novel stories with his perfumes. Named after the Greek word for gunpowder, Baruti perfumes are explosions of scent. The niche, independent perfume brand is conquering the world with unexpected aromatic combinations. Looking at Baruti’s Kaleidoscopic collection, the first thing that stands out is that the perfumes are not labelled for him or for her. “Smells are individual,” says Drosopoulos. “They should suit the occasion, just like clothes, shoes and accessories. Labelling the perfumes beyond their name would not do justice to that individuality.” The kaleidoscopic packaging design seems a perfect metaphor for the individual arrangement of different elements to create beauty. All of Baruti’s formulas are composed by Spyros Drosopoulos in his laboratory in Amsterdam. Spyros is a former neuroscientist who has always had an appreciation for fragrance. After years of working as a 86 | Issue 59 | November 2018
TEXT: KARIN VENEMA | PHOTOS: BARUTI
scientific researcher and lecturer, he left the academic world to pursue his newly found love – perfumery. “I love to tell stories through smells. Each Baruti fragrance is a persona with its own distinctive character and narrative. In my collaborations with other art disciplines, I explore the boundaries of smell even further. I let go of all laws and regularities. Who says a smell always has to be nice? Just like the DJ or video-artist during live performances, I use my ingredients and creativity to make a sequence of smells that tell my story,” Drosopoulos continues.
All the words in the world cannot describe a smell explosion adequately, so if you find yourself near a store that stocks Baruti perfumes: go and experience it for yourself. Web: www.baruti.eu
Spyros Drosopoulos.