Power
MASTERS TO WATCH: EDGAR HEINS
Lamps are something we all use. Edgar Heins, founder and CEO of Maretti Lighting, tells MASTERS that the company welcomes everyone, whether private individuals or installers. "Where something seems impossible, that's where the challenge begins for us."
Lamps are something that we all use. Edgar Heins, founder and CEO of Maretti Lighting tells MASTERS that they do not only supply to private individuals or installers, but that everyone is welcome. “Where something seems impossible, the challenge begins for us.”Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert
Attic room
“I learned the tricks of the trade in my uncle's lamp shop on Kinkerstraat in Amsterdam. I was standing at the counter selling lights – light bulbs, lampshades. Very awkward. My brother-in-law had an interior design company and made furniture, cabinets and counters for many clothing stores. Lighting was needed. "Can't you do those lights?" he asked me. Nice! I accompanied him as a lighting advisor and then made a lighting plan. We hung out together more and more often. I saw its potential and wanted more. But my uncle wanted less. When the store burned down one day it was time to make a move and start my own business. I did that together with a good friend. We started in an attic room and wanted to attract customers by advertising in the Yellow Pages. To do this, we first had to register with the Chamber of Commerce. We set up a partnership in September 1994 and the guide was published two months later. That's how we started our lighting consultancy. Every year we got bigger and bigger. At one point we advertised nationally in the Yellow Pages. I had to go to Zeeland for some lights... So we stopped doing that. After just a few months we had outgrown the attic room and moved to a building in Almere. That also quickly became too small. We rented units, built a bigger building, had it made even bigger, bought the office next door… We were just building and buying. We expanded every two years. Until a plot of 20.000 square meters became available. We bought that in 2008. Plan developed, building of 10.000 square meters built and we moved in in 2010.”
Louis van Gaal
“Many companies in our industry only supply to private individuals or installers, but everyone is welcome with us. We supply lamps to the end user, retailer, hotelier, installer, contractor, architect... We don't say no to anyone. And we supply the entire spectrum, from spotlights for the toilet costing ten euros to a chandelier in the loft costing forty thousand euros, and everything in between – for indoors, outdoors, offices, hotels. We have several of our own Maretti lines, represent brands such as Tom Dixon and also make lamps especially for designers. In our building everything happens under one roof. We have an R&D area, a workshop, a large warehouse, and customers can visit our showroom, which includes a hotel bedroom and six boardrooms, which are used as small homes by architects and interior designers such as Marcel Wolterinck, Eric Kuster, Osiris Hertman and Mariska Jagt. are furnished. According to their specific style and with their mood lighting. They design those lamps, we produce them. Wherever in the world you buy a Piet Boon lamp, we made it. That produces a nice interaction. When Eric Kuster takes a customer to our showroom to show his style room, he or she will automatically come into contact with our lighting. It also works the other way around: Louis van Gaal was here a while ago to pick out a lamp. He walks into the Marcel Wolterinck period room and says 'it smells so good here, I want that scented candle too'. After his visit to us, he immediately drove to the Wolterinck store in Laren. This creates a lot of connections here.”
Light architects
“Where something seems impossible, the challenge begins for us. We illuminated the new Van der Valk Hotel Amsterdam Zuidas, we supplied 90 percent of the fixtures - from the bedside lamps to the spectacular custom-made crown in the lobby. That was a three-year project, really cool. We also have many private clients. For example, we provided the lighting in a villa in South Africa with fourteen bathrooms. And we created a lighting frame of 6 x 6 meters in a New York penthouse. We had to transport that frame there and also have to comply with American regulations: different plug, different fitting, different dimmer. That's quite a challenge. We make on request, but we also come up with designs ourselves. From a lighting consultancy and supplier, we have increasingly become 'lighting designers'. Or actually: lighting architects. Because we complete the work of the architects by means of a good lighting plan, so that the building or interior designed by them is beautifully and skillfully illuminated. Making a lighting plan is really a profession. There are many factors that you as a lighting designer must take into account: What is the purpose of the lighting? Is there daylight available? What atmosphere and appearance does the client or architect want? And then you still have to take into account the regulations regarding lighting.”
one stop shop
“We are close to the interior design industry. If we notice that bronze is coming into fashion, we adjust the lighting accordingly. The trends I foresee for 2021? Matt brass, it could all shine a little more and everything will be LED. In the past, we still had limitations due to the sizes of fittings and the heat development of incandescent lamps and halogen lamps. But LED is so small, which means the design can become increasingly refined. We used to assemble everything ourselves, we hung almost every lamp sold here ourselves. We have now retrained a number of technicians to become project leaders who supervise the installer. This means we can handle many more projects. Moreover, we export considerably more. We are a one stop shop for clients, we offer everything in the field of lighting and care from A to Z: free lighting plan, home advice, lighting calculations, delivery and complete support. You can't get it any easier!”
