Pien and Patrick, a rock-solid team

For Pien and Patrick, home and work have been seamlessly intertwined for almost thirty years: they live above their shop, Jasmijn Bloembinders. “It’s busy, but also very practical,” says Pien.

“When the children were still small, I could always pop into school or pop round to sort something out at home. And at Christmas, of course, I always sorted out the flower arrangements at school,” she laughs. “We literally walk straight from our kitchen into the shop – that’s both the advantage and the downside of living above the business.”

The division of roles in the business is clear: Pien works in the shop, does the creative work and handles the orders, whilst Patrick takes care of purchasing, plants and external contacts. “We’re a rock-solid team. Patrick’s quite tall, so he can see everything in the shop much more quickly. Where I need a stepladder, he’s done it in a flash. Patrick’s also very good at arranging the shop front.” They both create floral arrangements. “Whoever takes on the job creates the arrangement,” says Pien.

Now that the children are growing up, they’re also looking to the future. “We’re nowhere near ready to stop, but we’re planning our time off more carefully and thinking about how we want to continue practising our craft in the future. It’s hard work, but it’s still the most enjoyable thing to do.”