Interview Willem Heeffer - Finland
Interview Willem Heeffer
'The Finns have been very helpful, very open and willing to discuss and cooperate together.'
What does your company do and which products or services do you offer?
I design spaces and objects from my studio and enjoy realizing the designs in the workshop. I am active in the joint fields of interior design, product design and architecture.
Recently I finished an office design for Elämysgroup. I made the full design and we integrated custom made tables, room dividers and lamps. The main features were the powder coated washing machine drums lamps, a ski chandelier and a big lounge/seating area at the height of the windowsill.
Last year we participated in a public art competition for the interior design of the new hospital in Kajaani. This was a cooperation with two illustrators. For this we silkscreen printed 150 m2 of birch plywood. These sheets were cut in different figures with the help of CNC machinery and assembled on the corridor walls. These objects function as landmarks and help with navigating through the hospital.
At the moment I am helping photographer Sami Parkkinen with his spring exposition at the National Museum of Finland. For this I created a scale working model of the space and treated the walls with magnetic paint. This way the artist can literally play and arrange his photographs on the wall of the exhibition space. These days not many use models anymore but this one has proved how hugely important it can be for the design process.
How did you end up in Finland?
I met a Finnish girl in Sarajevo in 2004 while I was backpacking there. We moved to Dublin because her dad said that it is a fine town. After the birth of our first son we moved to Helsinki in 2010 where I am happily living with my wife, 2 sons and a dog.
How did you eventually start your own business?
I studied ‘design in public space’ at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. After moving to Finland I started applying for jobs. Very soon I was fed up with the search and I decided to rent a studio space where I started to design products, mostly with recycled materials. One of the first projects was a series of up-cycled chandeliers made from 25 Heinz Banz cans for Hans Välimäki’s restaurant.
Do you also have experience with running your own company in the Netherlands?
No.
What are the major differences and similarities in the field of entrepreneurship between the Netherlands and Finland?
I see it as bonus to be a Dutch designer in Finland. If I would have been a designer in, for example, Amsterdam, the competition would be huge and it would be more difficult to stand out. I use it in my advantage that I am a foreigner. I could easily call the CEO of a company and introduce myself as ‘Willem Heeffer, a designer from the Netherlands’. I feel more free and brave. I have experienced that it often works in my favor.
Did covid19 have an impact on your business? If yes, how?
No, actually I have never been so busy. Being an entrepreneur is exciting but it is also difficult to plan and to look very far in the future. I like the freedom. To some extent I dislike the uncertainty but perhaps that is the price you have to pay for the freedom. Working in the 3 different areas as described in the beginning, does provide me a steady flow of work.
Do you have any tips for other Dutch, or international, people who want to do business in Finland?
My passion and enthusiasm have created encounters with other people working in the creative world in Finland (Helsinki). Many of my projects come in via via. Once you have delivered good work, you have showed that you are reliable and that you deliver quality, the next project might be around the corner. To me the Finns have been very helpful, very open and willing to discuss and cooperate together.
A peek into the future: where do you see yourself and your company in 5 years?
It is hard to say, my projects always change and I change with it. At the moment I am very interested in design and art related installations in public places (squares, shopping centre’s, museums etc.). I work together with great people and together we have signed up for a few open competitions so fingers crossed!
Anything else you would like to bring forward?
In the time of mass consumption and short lifespan of products we are looking for products with more meaning and a story or history. I like to show the reason and the process of how an object is made, this gives a good understanding of the product and will form a much stronger bond and connection with the owner. The products will be loved and stay with the owner longer. I think recycled materials show scars of life and have a story to tell.
Right: Printing in studio / CNC cut out of dandelion ready for installation.