Davy Swanenberg: 'We designed the world's most expensive kitchen'

Davy Swanenberg grew up in Berlicum in Brabant, where Culimaat still flourishes today, which he runs together with his brother Twan. They lift kitchens to the highest level time and time again: an eye for detail, authentic design and passion for craftsmanship. What shaped him early on?

What kept you busy in the past?

“During my high school years I was a drummer in a band and also drew many fantasy stories. When I was eighteen, I got to the point where I had to think about what I would do after graduating: make music or study? I chose to study marketing and economics, which was not my thing at all cup of tea but this seemed to me to be a 'stable' basis for my further career.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“My father founded Culimaat in 1985 and I entered the company at the age of 24. This was not a 'logical' step for me, but I really got into it. Because I loved drawing, I helped out in the design department every Saturday and at a certain point I started drawing more and more. That's how I ended up at Culimaat. In my twenties I was actually not interested in leadership and entrepreneurship at all, I wanted to focus purely on the creative part. Still, I took over the company from my father together with Twan in 2006.

I thought it was important to stay more in the background, because we saw around us the challenges that family businesses can bring. I only have one brother in life, so of course I cherish this bond enormously... That was my motto. As the years passed, I moved more and more into the foreground. Twan is in sales and sales design and I focus on the creative and innovative side of the company. We hired a director who runs the business in general.”

You indicate that you did not immediately intend to start a business. Has entrepreneurship ever disappointed you?

“No, in all those years it has never disappointed me, it has actually pleasantly surprised me. Because I can still express my creativity and work with a great team, I am never bored. In addition, I could always do what I enjoyed outside the business: making music.”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“My father has been my wheelbarrow throughout my career. When Twan and I were 12 years old, our father took us to trade fairs at home and abroad, so we learned a lot about the industry and design at a young age. My father in particular gave me a soft spot for Italian design. I certainly inherited the refined and sublime eye that I have developed for this design from my father. My father started Culimaat with custom kitchens, my brother and I expanded the company to Italian kitchens and custom kitchens from 1992.” 

Which icon would you like to design a kitchen for?

“For Queen Máxima! I would design a distinctive kitchen. When I look at her clothing style, I see a woman with an authentic, classic style of her own. I would translate this into my own design.”

You are on the jury of the renowned international competition World Kitchen Design Contest, after winning the award in 2013. What strikes you about the differences in culture and kitchen design?

“Asian cuisine is comparable to European cuisine: refined, subtle and elegant. If we cross the ocean and look at American kitchens, you see a completely different picture: much more colossal, the use of different materials together and to be honest, in my opinion, just 'not quite'.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“I think the fun and interesting thing about my profession is innovation. I love coming up with new things and then designing them. For example, Culimaat, together with Hoog Design, designed the most expensive kitchen in the world, the Equinox. We operate in the highest segment and with this kitchen we want to see if we can 'simply' sell the Equinox for a million via the internet. So how does that work? The kitchen is offered via the internet and you can pay with one click of a button via iDeal. The plan is to sell Equinox not only on the Dutch market, but also worldwide in a year and a half. And we still have a number of these types of innovative ideas.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“It wasn't there yet at the time, but I would have said to myself: go to the Rock School. As I said, I chose to study marketing, but of course I only did this to have something at hand. In the end, the chosen study did not benefit me much and it would have been better to do a study that better highlighted one of my passions.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I am not a specific wheelbarrow, but I try to guide and help my team, both interns and colleagues, during the creative design process.”