Music Furniture – In bed with a rockstar

They are called Alanis, Jimi, Angus, Prince. You can sit on them and, in one case, lay in them. Last summer Dennis Janssens and Suzanne Goeman visited Drumland in Badhoevedorp. Drummer Dennis needs new drumheads, but since it is very busy, they are referred to the coffee table. This isn’t however just a coffee table: it has lights in it! On their way home, Dennis and Suzanne are talking about just one thing: making furniture with music instruments as a theme!

Full House
At home Dennis immediately starts to experiment: can one make a barstool out of a snaredrum? Okay, drumhead removed, and slip it over the stool: yes, one can! Before Dennis and Suzanne know it, they have a house stuffed with music furniture. When Dennis is working outdoors while it’s freezing his ears off, they know: this can’t go on like this. So, last January they moved to a building on an industrial area in Heemskerk. The workplace is downstairs, the showroom upstairs.

Flower bulbs
‘No, we weren’t educated in making furniture,’ Suzanne answers. She mainly concentrates on marketing and sales. ‘Dennis started his career in the flower bulbs!’ Soon Suzanne and Dennis find out that making furniture is bound to regulations. ‘Even the height of the back of a chair is regulated.’ Suzanne calls the profession of making music furniture ‘learning by doing’. They have to do so, as they are unique in the world. And, they are doing a good job, as I look around me, I’d like to buy it all! Unfortunately, I haven’t got enough money ...

Angus Young
Suzanne is preparing a ‘big push’. They would like to deliver more products to the hotel and catering industry, record studios, perhaps decorating a hotel room, and artists as a client are more than welcome! With the holidays ahead of us, the smaller products are perfect as a gift. A while ago Suzanne had a red toilet seat delivered at Angus Young’s place. ‘He has a house built and it would be fantastic when he orders some furniture!’

Unfortunately he hasn’t responded yet, but Suzanne thinks that’s because he’s touring at the moment. Yes, she and Dennis are AC/DC fans. ‘Wouldn’t it be great when Angus sends us a guitar and tells us “Make a bed out of it, please!”’ Her love for Angus Young isn’t strange, Suzanne loves guitar music. ‘I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar, my parents however thought an organ was more appropriate.’ Nowadays Suzanne sings. In a rock band!

Guitable
The so-called guitable is their best-selling larger item. Dennis and Suzanne have permission to use Stagg as a reference for their products. ‘Sure, we would like to add more names to our list. I’d love to make a wardrobe out of a Marshall, for instance, or a flight case-based chair.’ She and Dennis visited the Gibson factory in Nashville last year. Gibson? Yes, please! America as a consuming market is another dream for the couple. They intend to go to the NAMM show early next year. ‘Shipping our products and hiring some space over there is very expensive though. So, we are planning to take two things with us, of course the guitable, and walking around the premises, handing out flyers as well.’

Is our country too small for them? ‘No, of course it isn’t. But the Dutch are very niggardly. What we make isn’t from cheap countries like those in Asia, it’s handmade over here. It takes five hours to make a guitable, and three guitars must be used as basic material, you can’t make it for discount prices. Or they find it’s not suited for their interiors. In America people aren’t bothered with this, when they like it, they buy it.’

Microphone lamp
Dennis is getting more and more the hang of it, so prices decrease. Buying large quantities is helpful as well. ‘Take our microphone lamp, for instance. We were looking for a mike that wouldn’t show the fitting. We found them on the Beverwijk’ black market, which is nearby [Beverwijk has a well-known black market – ed]. Unfortunately, they ran out of stock after a while, so we had to look for another supplier.’ After googling the internet, Suzanne found a supplier ... down under! ‘That was all very exciting,’ she says, ‘you order the stuff, pay a large amount of money and then, you’ll have to wait and see. On the day of arrival, you become very nervous: have they really sent what you’ve payed for, and not a load of bricks?’

Life & Cooking
You can entrust the marketing side to Suzanne, it’s her daily profession! On the wall there are a lot of newspaper articles about Music Furniture. And they were in a popular Dutch TV programme, called Life & Cooking. ‘Yeah, it was a live programme, we had forgotten about that. In the commercial break we had to put our products on stage very quickly. And one of the hosts is known for his criticism, so it was very exciting. But, luckily, he was very enthusiastic!’

Future plans
Suzanne and Dennis give themselves two years time to have the business successful. There is no lack of ideas, now the customers have to find their way to their company, in such a way that they can make a living out of it. Dennis is very optimistic however. ‘He thinks in terms of “can do” instead off “can not”. It would be great if our hobby can be turned into our daily job. Perhaps we can hire someone! And maybe, maybe ... when we really can make a living out of it, we will leave this country.’ Whereto? Okay, no need for asking, The United States!

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