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Person

Michael was born in Aachen in 1971, to a Dutch mother and a German father. He grew up in

the part of Germany which borders the Netherlands and Belgium. His grandfathers were

skilled craftsmen, so he became acquainted with all kinds of materials at an early age and

loved making and creating kinds of things. After school Michael trained to become a cabinet

maker. He studied design in Aachen, where he gained an honours degree. One year later, at

the age of 27, he started work as a lecturer at the University of Aachen, teaching product

development. During this time Michael started work on his own projects with German design

labels such as Details and Freiraum. After his first booklet mailing in 1999, he came to the

attention of Habitat and Ligne Roset. These were the first major international companies he

worked for, and they have remained his clients.