Founded in 2001 by Rudy van Thiel Sr. and his sons, Rudy Jr. & Frederik, VAN THIEL & CO. began in spirit more than 40 years ago. Rudy Sr. would ride from town to town in the Netherlands with antiques strapped to his bicycle. Always on the lookout for great sources of inspiration and intrigued by the stories he would hear; he’d study every detail of each piece he found for creative insight. Since then, Rudy Sr. and his sons have drawn inspiration from all over the world, building VAN THIEL & CO. into a large, high-end furniture source. In 2016, they moved the company from its initial location in Beijing to the rising global furniture powerhouse of Vietnam.
Architect noun / ˈärkəˌtek(t) /
1: a person who designs buildings and advises in their construction
2: a person who designs and guides a plan or undertaking
// “it’s a coffee table,” said the homeowner. “it’s a story,” said the architects of furniture
First known use of architect: 1563, in the meaning defined at sense
History and Etymology for architect Middle French "architecte":
from Latin architectus, from Greek "architektōn" master builder, from "archi" + "tektōn" builder, carpenter
Source: Merriam-Webster
VAN THIEL & CO. noun / vän-ˈtēl and ˈkō /
also called: architects of furniture
1 : a family of designers and makers who study every detail of an old piece, find the story in it and use it to design something new
2 : a creative and sourcing partner that takes a piece of furniture from first concept to rendering, sample, finish, and full production for high-end retailers worldwide
3 : broadly : someone who looks at a table and sees its history, its structure and what it could become
// the retailer called in the architects of furniture before the collection had a name
First known use: more than 40 years ago, on a bicycle loaded with antiques in the Netherlands
History and Etymology:
"VAN" Dutch for “from, of,” + the family name "THIEL"
"& CO." comes from company, via Old French compagnie, from Late Latin companio: “one who shares bread with another” from com-, “with,” + panis, “bread.”
Shaped in the Netherlands. Refined in Beijing. Built in Vietnam.
Source: Rudy van Thiel Sr.