Now, we’ve become accustomed to quite a bit, but this was truly exciting and quite impossible until the very last moment. Opening our building to the public during Design Week was a decision that could not be undone. In the end, we ended up showing the public section only. All other sections of the building looked like a war zone. And a war zone they were, considering the huge number of people who worked there day and night before the opening in a race against the clock to make sure we could open at all.
In the workshop, soon to be the centre of the building and where you can see how the products in the showroom are made, piles of rubbish and materials were silent witnesses to the tremendous efforts of all those involved. What many thought would never be possible on Friday afternoon was pulled off on Saturday morning. We opened the premises and hordes of people took over the building so to speak.
Today, the first Saturday after Design Week, things have quieted down a bit of course. It’s almost deserted, you could say, and whether or not we will succeed in the end still remains to be seen. But the responses we’ve received thus far have been tremendously positive and have strengthened us in our conviction that we have made the right decisions as far as content is concerned. We simply did what we thought was right and appropriate. Regardless of whether it’s a success or not, this was a fantastic accomplishment in itself, one that everyone who contributed can be proud of.
Nob and I are especially grateful to all those who made the impossible possible, and also to each other. We entered together into battle, you could say. Now that the first dust clouds have settled, we can rightfully say that we’ve survived the toughest battle of our lives. Unfortunately or fortunately – it all depends on whether you enjoy stress – there will be plenty more battles to be fought in the time to come.
Opening of Building
When I walked through the building the first time, I could not see a thing. It was dark, the windows were painted shut with peeling paint, and the walls and ceiling system appeared to have been randomly placed and installed. But the contours of the building became clear within a few minutes: there was a large workshop in the heart of the building, surrounded by a showroom on the first floor.
The building of our dreams. Wherever you stand, you can see where the products are devised, made, sold and distributed. One of the most distinctive characteristics of our company is the transparency with which we operate. The darkest building in Eindhoven is probably the lightest one now. At any rate, it was the best possible accommodation for us, both literally and figuratively.
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