Piet Hein Eek

Piet Hein Eek is a designer born in Purmerend in the Netherlands in 1967. He is graduated from the prestigious Eindhoven Design Academy in 1990. Heine Eek likes to mix textures and finishes in his designs. He has established himself as the master in the practice of “Scrapwood”. This is a technique that consists of assembling old scraps of recycled wood, with the aim of revalorizing them. The result is a limited series of handcrafted furniture.

Piet Hein Eek has become an expert in the mass production of Scrap Wood furniture. Indeed, these pieces of furniture made entirely from recycled wood, are the trademark of the designer. Through his work, this designer of a new kind offer pieces of wood and old objects a second life.

How Piet Hein Eek brings wood back to life

Piet Hein Eek has a penchant for the imperfections that can be found in pieces of wood, rather than the impeccably finished boards used by industrial chains. He knows how to exploit the defects and impurities of materials to obtain an aesthetic result and thus create a unique and rare piece. The furniture is, in fact, made in limited series.

We can then say that Heine Eek has adapted marquetry to the taste of the day: leave aside the noble species and know how to take advantage of wood scraps from the industry and recycling. The approach is all the more in tune with the times as it is eco-responsible.

Once the Philips factories have left Eindhoven, Heine Eek buys the old warehouses in order to turn them into exhibition spaces. He also collects the old objects present and waits to recycle them.

Piet Hein Eek’s works can be seen in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam with the title “doors” and in the Groeninger Museum.

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