Mission.
In view of the fast growing need for different types of office furniture in the New Work era, industrial designer Dirk Rutten, upholstery specialist John Wijnen and office furniture networker Pieter Beeck decided to start up a cooperation and created CONCEPTUAL FURNITURE DESIGN in 2016 .
The mission was and today still is to develop, manufacture and commercialise furniture that helps people to connect and to communicate. By creating products that can adapt to every environment, we believe we can bring people closer together, while preserving one another’s privacy through optimum acoustic solutions.
Today, one of the lessons of the Corona crisis is that there is a hunger for social contact, for a sense of belonging. It is important that people feel comfortable in a company, know that they are part of a bigger whole and recognize what their role is in it.
Instead of a place where people routinely spend time, the office of the future will be a place where only specific tasks are done. The new purpose of the office is to provide inspiration and strengthen cultural connections: learning, meeting clients and colleagues, stimulating creativity and innovation.
The CONCEPTUAL product offering supports companies in realizing this purpose, transforming the office into a clubhouse.
Our
Team.
KOEN VERHEIJEN
Managing partner
Koen Verheijen grew up in an entrepreneurial family and graduated in International Business in 1996.
Right after he entered the family owned business; an international trading company in fabrics and raw materials for the textile and footwear industry. He has gained experience with the import and export to and from many worldwide destinations.
In 2022 he joined the team of Conceptual.
With his experience and practical approach he will give a positive vibe to the ambitions of Conceptual Furniture.
Together with Casper Beeck he will strengthen the Conceptual brand, optimize the business and expand commercial activities both nationally and internationally.
CASPER BEECK
Managing partner
Casper Beeck graduated as an event and project manager from the Karel de Grote high school (Antwerp, Belgium) in 2018. As an event organiser, he learned to manage as well as promote projects from A to Z in close teamwork.
He started his professional career as in-house marketer for both internal and external communication channels at a global provider of professional information and software solutions.
However, he inherited his love for (office) furniture from his parents. They have both been active in the sector since the 1980s. At the age of 16, he was already doing holiday work in the assembly line of a German office furniture component manufacturer.
When asked in 2020 if he wanted to join the adventure of Conceptual Furniture Design, he did not have to hesitate for long and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After two years as account manager discovering all the ins and outs of the company, it was time for the next step at management level, where he can put his many interests from technology and design to marketing into practice.
JOHN WIJNEN
Production & Logistics
John Wijnen (The Netherlands 1968) grew up in a business family that originally traded in domestic and industrial sewing machines. He received a technical education and specialized in industrial sewing machinery in Germany and France.
In 1994 the family started its own upholstery business in Nowa Ruda, Poland, as supplier for well-known international customers in different fields of activity. Today, John is in charge of this company that employs some 70 well-skilled workers.
In 2016 he was founding partner of the newly created brand Conceptual Furniture Design and since then takes care of production and logistics. John is a pragmatic entrepreneur who focuses on long term relationships with his clients as well as with his employees.
PIETER BEECK
Product Management
Born in Belgium in 1961 in a family of architects, he developed a strong passion for furniture and architecture. After having completed his marketing studies at the Karel De Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1983, he started his career in the offce furniture industry and worked for companies in Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland.
In cooperation with German co-maker Veyhl GmbH he created his office furniture component agency Pro Office International in 1989. Throughout the years he built up a strong reputation as networker and bridge builder with a profound knowledge of the office furniture industry and an international approach, striving for long term partnerships and rewarding experiences.
Intrigued by the radical changes in office design caused by the implementation of the new work concept, he decided to team up with John Wijnen and Dirk Rutten in 2016 for the creation of the new soft seating brand Conceptual Furniture Design, focussing on the sales and marketing aspects of the business.
JEROME GAUTHIER
Creative Director
Graduated from the National School of Decorative Arts (EnsAD) in Paris, Jerome Gauthier has been practicing his profession as a designer since 2000 within his agency for various clients: Craftsmen, industrials, research organizations, publishers and many more in private or public mandates. He manages each project according to his professional practice which he developed and refined over time.
His credo: “Listen to better respond to customer demand, seek purpose, understand to convince, feel to affirm.”
Jérôme is an intuitive person looking to build lasting relationships with his clients and has the right tools to build the project from the first sketches down to the smallest technical details. He enjoys the end-to-end creative process and that is exactly why he joined Conceptual at the start of 2021 as Creative Director.