Local Makers: Hout van je Stad
The tastiest cookies, prettiest bracelets, cleverest cutting boards, purest coffee and most sustainable belts—all crafted by Amsterdam-based makers. But how do they go about their craft? And what makes their products so special? In this edition, we look at the makers behind Hout van je Stad. We interviewed the owner, Tom Marcelis, about the origins of Hout van je Stad. But first, check out this video to learn all about the production process of these wooden cutting boards.
Where wood and stories meet
Tom Marcelis (46), the brains behind Hout van je Stad, grew up in Doetinchem, about 130 kilometres from Amsterdam, right in the heart of the rural Achterhoek region. "I was always surrounded by forests and could ride my bike around endlessly as a kid," Tom shares. To him, those trees were just part of life. "It wasn’t until I first visited Amsterdam that I realised how special trees can be for people." With his love of the outdoors, a background in graphic design, and training in garden and landscape design, Tom struck up a conversation with his former business partner. "He was a carpenter who could teach me how to work with wood, while I taught him about design. Together, we spent years crafting custom furniture." When they received a special request to make a table from elm wood, Tom thought it would be fascinating not just to work with a locally sourced elm but also to share the story behind the tree. However, while Amsterdam is full of elms, getting hold of the wood wasn’t straightforward.
The birth of the 'city board'
“For the first few months, I felt like I was running around in circles. No one could—or wanted to—tell me how to get my hands on a fallen tree from Amsterdam. This was between 2005 and 2010 when the concept of a circular economy was hardly a thing. Back then, felled timber was still considered waste. People didn’t think you could create beautiful new things from old trees, and the wood was mostly sold off outside the city by traders.” Thankfully, Tom managed to get hold of an elm through the Stadshout Foundation. He made it into a table and engraved where the tree once stood. “My client was thrilled, and I immediately wanted to make more. However, I knew not everyone could afford a handmade table. Still, I thought the storytelling—the deeper narrative behind the tree—would resonate with many.” That’s when he had a lightbulb moment: “What if I made the story smaller, with a board?” And so, the Stadsplank (or “City Board”) was born. Each board (a cutting or serving board, depending on how you use it) comes with its own QR code. Scan it, and you can see where the tree once stood on Google Maps, along with more background stories from the area. Now, every unique elm wood board has a tale rooted in local lore, which is always checked for accuracy with a historian.
A tree is not timber
In addition to the Stadsplank, Tom designs and creates a great deal more. In June 2017, he wrote a personal letter to Eberhard van der Laan in response to the late former mayor's farewell letter to the people of Amsterdam. "Eberhard had a short time left to live, and I thought, 'He can’t leave the city in a coffin made of tropical hardwood." When Van der Laan passed away, Tom got a call first thing in the morning asking if he could still make the coffin. "And so it happened that I crafted his coffin from oak sourced from Vondelpark."
Tom is also regularly asked to create office interiors using as much local wood as possible. How does he get his hands on all these trees? "I now buy my logs through a municipal wood auction that’s been running for about a year. Every time there’s been a storm, I know it’s my lucky day! And trees that are sick also end up at the auction." Clients sometimes need to be patient because a tree isn't timber yet. It has to be located, cut down, and then dried for about six months before Tom can get to work. With his Stadsplanken, he’s bridging the gap between nature, history and design.
The I amsterdam Store, your go-to shop for Amsterdam gifts, gives a platform to the stories of local makers like Hout van je Stad. You’ll find us at the back of Central Station, in the IJ-hal.
