Oogenlust is not a classic flower store or purely an event agency, but a coherent set of activities. Marcel: "Oogenlust actually consists of four segments, each with its own character. That's the concept store. That's the events, which is the biggest branch. That is the domain we rent out for events. And that is Rituals, for which we place flower trees in all the stores.' The store and events are visible and public. The domain as a location adds its own playing field where you can fine-tune routing, light, sound, smell and texture.
The company's transition to the next generation is palpable. Marcel describes a continuity in values, but also a renewal in approach. 'Wim is a bit more of a total organizer, though. But there is no need to grow so much, it all has to be right.' The transfer, which was ratified on Thursday, Oct. 30, therefore feels like a logical step that fits into Oogenlust's development.
What is your signature style? The lens through which the team looks at each assignment is "Always inspired by nature. That signature extends to the store. 'A hallmark of the concept store is that visitors experience something unique here. And also that we don't sell trends - everything here in the store stands the test of time. The store is a carefully composed environment in which every object, from vase to bowl, is placed in its context. We therefore have partners, not suppliers. Partner choice is leading - when we choose Mobach, it means we choose Mobach. We are not going to snack on all sides.'
Oogenlust's signature is based on reading a place, choosing materials that support the story and orchestrating all the senses. In this, nature is anchor, material source and yardstick at the same time. In the floral arrangements, in the green furnishings and in the styling of the store, this line is tightly maintained. Timelessness comes before trend; rhythm, scale and texture are given space; flowers and plants are not added as separate elements, but as integral parts of an overall picture.
How do you keep it innovative and surprising ? 'You constantly bring a different atmosphere. We choose partners and stay true to them. We put out a collection and don't switch to something different every week. That's how you build a story that's true to who we are.'
Innovation then is not in the pursuit of something new for the sake of being new, but in the ever different translation of the same values. In this, the domain is a practice space where ideas can mature, materials can be tested and combinations can be tried.
How important is Christmas? December at Oogenlust is mainly a matter of direction and calmness in execution. 'Throughout the year we want to bring in orders, except in the month of December. Because then we have plenty of work.' The priority is quality and continuity for team and customers. 'How important is Christmas for us? No more important than September, no more important than June, no more important than March or April. We put more effort into getting an order in in March than into scheduling additional orders for December.' For the concept store, there are extra Sunday openings around Christmas and Christmas Inspiration Days are announced as a shopping opportunity. The store and outdoor space will have a festive winter setting. The sophisticated ambiance with luxurious materials, Christmas decorations, deep winter hues and atmospheric presentations, will be continually supplemented with new items and a mix of plants so that each visit feels different.
Where does your heart lie ? 'With events. Because then I can create experience. The floral arrangement is just a part of it. What matters to me is the total experience and that the complete story is right. Because if the soup is sour, the flowers hang limp.' That direction distinguishes Oogenlust and determines the choices in light, acoustics and greenery.
What kind of events do you provide ? 'We do on average between four and seven events a week each year. From six to a thousand covers: intimate dinners, walking dinners, product presentations, parties, large-scale brand events or the opening of a building.'
What do you draw inspiration from ? 'Museums, art and advertisements. Fashion. Nature above all.' Those sources feed the imagination and sharpen the language. A candlelit supper in a historic hall can lead to a new lighting plan. A work of art can open up a palette of colors perfect for a brand presentation. Nature offers rhythms and textures that can be quoted in wood, leaf and flower without copying. By looking again and again, the work stays fresh.
How do you work a location into an experience? 'From the moment I enter a building, I look at how I can extract the quality from the building to build on that. With a building by Calatrava, you fill it in with organic lines and soft materials. Toward Le Corbusier, you can use clear geometry and tight rhythms. You have to connect to the character and lines of the design of the architecture.' Whenever possible, materials come from one's own domain, appropriate to season and atmosphere. The result should feel natural, as if the space was always meant to be that way. 'For some brands, nature is the starring role and no flowers are involved, but greenery is. For other assignments, blossoms and seasonal flowers play the main role. The choice follows from the story and the place.'
Do flowers and plants play a big role in this ? 'We have more than 1,000 hanging plants and 300 trees - up to eight meters high - for hire, which can be used to tilt a space from cold to warm, from empty to loaded. For example, if we put ten trailers of trees inside the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, the atmosphere changes completely. That scale is not an end in itself, but a tool.'
Sustainability is important to you, in what does that manifest itself ? 'We bring the domain back to its original nature. Working with the season and materials of the domain keeps the provenance clear and the footprint small. And we have our own very comprehensive sustainability protocol that we strictly adhere to.' In material choices, he remains idiosyncratic: 'We only have one flower that comes under that and that's the rose. But then I also really like working with rose hips.'
What is your vision of entrepreneurship and quality? 'We have three elements that determine whether or not we should do something. It has to bring job happiness. It must contribute to economic returns. And it has to fit the schedule.'
That trinity acts as a filter on every application. That planning is a strategic tool; Work happiness prevents hardening, efficiency keeps the organization healthy and planning protects quality. 'We regularly throw out the planning, because we have learned that letting people work across borders does not make quality better. We used to work late into the night. That doesn't add anything. We'd rather choose an eight where we went for a ten, than a six because we wanted too much.'
How is the team structured? 'Fifty people and between ten and twenty freelancers. We invest in people, in training and in a culture where you can grow - they have to have a floral heart, by the way. The working method has been refined and anchored over the years, so that the team can apply the same methodology to every request and still arrive at something unique. It makes the work recognizable without becoming predictable.'
What was the corona period like ? 'We experienced then that we had no work for a year, and yet we did not lay anyone off. During that period, we held the whole organization up to the light. In 2022 all the brakes went off again, and we were ready. In 2023 and '24 we had the best years ever. The crisis sharpened which choices mattered. Such as scaling to secure and refine quality. This has fueled the belief that focus, team care and planning are the prerequisites for exceptional work.
Do you see a future in the floral profession? 'For beautiful bouquets for sure. For putting the icing on the cake in interiors, too. But the average flower store has no future. In the supermarket, bouquets are often better than at the average florist. The difference is made at the top of the industry, where the right plant, the right vase and the right flowers are brought together at the right time.' It is a tantalizing diagnosis that encourages specialization and cooperation. Marcel sees a nice role for florists who connect with interior designers, who take material and context seriously and who dare to choose.
What does the future hold for Oogenlust? 'I hope that Wim will allow the estate to mature even further, that the building will breathe more and more and that the store will continue to maintain its quality. We want to continue to do what we ourselves find beautiful and, where possible, add beauty.'
What once began by selling flowers grew into a world where nature, imagination and craftsmanship came together.
What once began with selling flowers grew into a world where nature, imagination and craftsmanship come together. To mark 45 years of Oogenlust, a special anniversary magazine was published that takes the reader through seven periods. Marcel and Monique van Dijk stood at the start of the amazing world of Oogenlust in 1980. A new period has now begun: since Thursday, October 30, their eldest son Wim is the new owner.
Domain Oogenlust
Hees 4, Eersel
www.oogenlust.com
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Oogenlust Conceptstore, Oogenlust Events
