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.
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