Interior planting a whole with interiors. Big in green

Green is important: more and more companies know this! As early as the design phase of their new premises, they include plants in the ideation process. As a specialist in interior planting, De Klerk is the partner of choice for this. 

"In the past, interior planting was a final piece of a design, which was not given much attention," says Jos van der Hulst, general manager of De Klerk. "This has changed, we are getting involved in the plans at an earlier and earlier stage. Companies like Rabobank, ASML and BDO accountants are our regular customers. They want there to be a whole concept, and we then sit at the table with those involved, such as the furniture supplier, interior designer and lighting specialist to ensure that the plants form one whole with the interior."

After corona time, Van der Hulst noticed an even greater focus on greenery in the office. "You do not necessarily have to be in the office all the time, but if you are there then it is important that you feel as comfortable there as at home, with a good seat, nice coffee and plants around you. An office is no longer purely functional." 

Plants are not only good for well-being. "They contribute to favorable humidity and absorb CO2." 

Van der Hulst continues: "You can get plants anywhere, but we offer added value through advice and maintenance. Like about combining plants. We also know where to get the best plants and we have a lot of knowledge. Even professional companies sometimes lack this. We set the bar high, for example when it comes to planting. The root system wants to grow and if this is damaged, you're going to see this at the top as well."

A green heart

De Klerk overwhelmingly has a heart for green. The company originated in 1950 as a local florist. De Klerk still does this work, but gradually its activities expanded into interior planting. It has traditionally been a family business, first run by De Klerk and later by the Van der Hulst family. 

"My father started here as an intern and also met my mother here, so I grew up among the greenery." Six years ago, the baton was handed over to Jos van der Hulst. "Back then we had 37 people on payroll, this is now 80. Through four different acquisitions (and one still in the pipeline, ed.) we now have more than national coverage, from Brussels to Groningen." 

Of these 80 employees, 40 are engaged in green maintenance daily. 

Van der Hulst's mission is clear: "We want to be the specialist and advisor in the field of greenery for both the private and business market within the Netherlands and Belgium. We stand for craftsmanship, service, quality and creativity." Customers are welcome to visit the showroom in Veldhoven, to get acquainted with everything De Klerk has to offer. "Here we also experiment with planting ourselves, for example with living green walls. Here additional lighting turns out to be very important, because light is filtered through windows. In addition, we inspire our customers here, they can see an awful lot of types of plants and materials at once. After that, it is often easier to take the next step. A lot is then dropped and we can move on to what the customer does like."