Rolf’s love for architecture runs deep. At 6 he already knew that he was going to be an architect. Following his training at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University Delft, Rolf started his own architecture agency. He was also one of the founding members of the award-winning agency Zecc Architects. However, Rolf quickly discovered that while he loved architecture, and in particular the reconstruction and transformation of existing buildings, running an architecture agency was not for him: “Being in the same building with other people all day long just doesn’t bring out the best in me.” Desperate for more creative freedom, Rolf turned his attention from architecture to product design. 

It all started with his grandfather’s old chest of drawers. Nobody in the family was particularly interested in this heirloom piece except for Rolf, who offered to take the cabinet on the condition that he could do with it as he liked. He decided to cut the piece in half thereby transforming a traditional piece of furniture into a contemporary work of art. Rolf the “furniture transformer” was born. Armed with a chainsaw, Rolf transformed a number of pieces: by cutting away certain parts and adding new ones, he gave outdated furniture a new lease of life. 

“I DON’T LIKE RULES. I LIKE AUTONOMY, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY I MOVED TO FURNITURE.”

Rolf: “I don’t like rules. I like autonomy, which is probably why I moved to furniture, although I took my love for architecture with me. As an architect you draw up plans and sections. Those sections are really nice but once the building is finished nobody ever sees them again, which is a shame really. So, I took that idea of sections and applied it to furniture design. By cutting away certain pieces the sections became permanently visible.” 

Rolf looks back on his endeavors with somewhat mixed feelings. They served a purpose but over time have started to feel like a bit of a trick: “At the risk of sounding jaded, but when I visit a design or art exhibition I see a lot of repetition. And I myself didn’t want to keep doing the same trick and reduce these concepts into some sort of gadget.”

“Truth is, when I take a chainsaw to a piece of furniture I’m kind of done with that after having done it a handful of times. Same with rolling up dollar bills to create a table: after a while I lose interest and I’m done. And times have also changed,” Rolf continues, “2022 is very different from 2015. Recycling has become much more accepted and mainstream. I played a small part in motivating and inspiring others by showing them the transformative power of recycling. But that was then and now it’s up to the industry and to all of us to really implement this on a large scale. In a way my role in that process is done, which is why I’m going back to my first love: architecture.”

His biggest project to date is The House of Rolf. A former coach house that now serves as both Rolf’s home and studio. The house’s interior is made entirely out of material that comes from a demolished building next-door. Every single part has been repurposed from radiators to window frames. The end result is nothing short of spectacular: an old dilapidated building transformed into a modern design haven. Rolf: “This was a mammoth job. It took 2 years and it was horrible at times but Niek Hagemans and I pushed through and I’m really happy with the end result.” 

Pushing through is somewhat of a theme in Rolf’s work. “I usually just jump in. I have an idea and start working on it immediately but there will always come a point where you’re sick of it. And something you loved working on transforms as well, and becomes something you absolutely hate doing. Fortunately, I know that I have a tendency to finish what I’ve started. It takes a lot of energy but I always see projects through and end up feeling happy about the end result.”

In recent years, Rolf has turned his attention to Africa. He built a house in Senegal, a place he frequently visits. “After the tsunami a couple of friends and I went to Sri Lanka to help rebuild. It then became a thing we did every couple of years, going to places like Cambodia, Haiti and Senegal to help out.” Rolf found himself returning to Senegal because of the climate,its proximity to The Netherlands, and above all the people. Plus there aren’t too many rules and restrictions.

“You can build something there without a permit. Of course that has enormous consequences for the look and feel of a city but as an architect it gives you enormous freedom. While at the same time, it also comes with less certainties: because there are no rules there’s nothing preventing my neighbors from building a 3-story high apartment block.

For the house Rolf built he turned to local blacksmiths who all sell similar patio furniture, made of recycled reinforcing mesh. “All these tradespeople repurpose this mesh that was once used to reinforce concrete. And they take bits and pieces and weld them together to create this iconic chair. But they don’t do it because it’s hip or fashionable. It’s born out of necessity. That has been something of an eye opener. And as a result I have begun to see my own designs in a new light. It explains why my conceptual work has become of less interest to me.

Rolf’s latest endeavor? An old farm house in a rural part of eastern Holland. “The original farm dates back to 1888 but over the years different elements and buildings have been added, right up to 1985. I want to transform that building in a way that honors that history and literally shows the layers that have been added over the years. In the end, I’m still fascinated with transformation. Because it is such a layered concept. It’s about turning nothing into something.” 

“IT'S ABOUT TURNING NOTHING INTO SOMETHING.”

Disclaimer:

A version of this article has been published in NOOK, the trade publication for Interior Architects in The Netherlands and Belgium. 

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, a beautiful video on Rolf Bruggink's work by Stijn Spoelstra.