HANS LUIKEN, DOFINE

Hans Luiken is CEO of product design studio Dofine and has had as many wheelbarrows as colorful, creative ideas. His family was packed with mentors and the paint manufacturer has also had to face some copycats because of his creativity. That did not stop Hans from continuing steadily and also being a wheelbarrow for many creative people. Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Dofine

What was your very first job?

“My very first job was as a set painter, I did this for a stand and set builder. I was 15 years old at the time and got into this because my entire family was already in the paint business.”

So that's how you ended up in your current job?

“Yes, this goes back to when I was 15 years old. My uncles, cousins, grandfathers and father were in this industry. My father had a paint factory, so working with paint and having a lot of knowledge about it was in my blood from an early age. From a set painter I at one point became a paint laboratory technician and later a paint manufacturer. ”

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

“What I find very important and certainly want to convey is that you have to create the space to discover and experiment. Very often, young people enter a particular profession, that becomes the focus and the work consumes the person. There are so many other capabilities that can be further developed and discovered. When a job takes over your life and there is no room left, you limit yourself too much. This can cause you to sit in a place for a very long time where you are actually not happy at all.

I say this because I have that feeling sometimes too. I still have so many passions and ambitions: it's a list of at least a hundred bucket list points and I actually have to live to be 500 years old to complete all these points. Developing, developing and realizing new products are high on that list. ”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“I actually have two wheelbarrows and one idol. In any case, all three have in common that they were and are colorful people. Of course my father is number one, because of him I was infected with the paint. He is a very kind, beautiful and very loved person. I was also lucky to have worked with a very striking and extravagant person in the past: Ley Wehrens. He was a manufacturer of coloring pastes.

Ley always impressed me enormously with his impressive appearance. He could convey his extravagant appearance well in a world of darkness, Ley had persuasive power. He could be whoever he wanted to be and I always strived for that. David Bowie was also an inspiration to me. He changed continuously; both in appearance and music style. Bowie was always looking for boundaries and shocking. I thought that was very special.”

What is your greatest passion in the profession?

"To create. Particularly in collaboration with a group of young and enthusiastic people. That really gets me out of bed.”

What has been your biggest learning moment in your career?

“As a successful paint manufacturer, people came to my team and me supposedly wanting to work together, but actually taking away ideas, knowledge and work. These are disappointments that many entrepreneurs experience and that you then have to work very hard to regain the spontaneity. You need to get rid of these kinds of frustrations as quickly as possible and focus on the positive things. It was a great learning experience and nowadays I keep such people at a distance. I do not let the enthusiasm of my team and myself be suppressed and I do not take the frustration with me. We are leaving this in the past.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I am hopefully a wheelbarrow for many (former) colleagues who have worked with me or for me. Dofine has grown into a design studio, product lab and applicator in one. The team designs unique finishes for walls, floors, panels, objects and furniture. Many people work with the Dofine concept who ultimately want to be independent. Of course, I also hope to be an example for my children and inspire them about what they can and cannot do in their lives.”