Some love Mani for its sunsets, others for its wonderfully clean sea, and they return year after a year, never tiring of coming back… But there are some (and we ourselves belong to this group) who choose to settle permanently in Mani and who, above all, value the freedom to choose a new way of life. Leaving large companies and leading positions, changing countries, is never an easy decision, but the biggest challenge is finding a way to develop and make a living from our true passions while finding our place in the new country. Today we would like to introduce Edwin de Jel, a talented furniture designer and
carpenter, who is known in this area as Edwin “The Kloemeler”. Elias, Estia and I visited Edwin for a chat and had the honor of seeing the workshop as well as some of his projects.
“Puzzlepieces come together”
Can you help me with a short presentation?
Sure.. Who am I? I would say the words “Flying Dutch man” fit me well. Originally from Holland, but roamed the world and myself in order to find the one place in my mind and on this planet where I have the feeling I belong. For me this is the Mani. It is like finding an important and big puzzle piece for my life’s puzzle here.
When did you visit Greece for the first time? And what part of Greece was it?
I came to Greece almost three years ago. Visited many countries before that, but never landed in Greece. After a spontaneous impulse decided to rent a lovely house in the Epirus region in a place called “Koronisia”. A beautiful small Island located in the Ambrakian Gulf. Every day I would walk around this island and collect all the interesting pieces of driftwood I could find. I took them home and, inspired by the shapes and forms, started to create objects with the wood I found.
In what year did you decide to move permanently to Greece, and was Mani your first choice?
I have lived here since 2022. No, I lived in another area before and because I wanted different sceneries and possibilities, I started to look for another interesting place to live in Greece. This is why Mani caught my eye.
What is your “why the Peloponnese” story?
Life was good on this small island, but living there felt like I was not going anywhere with my life and my newly found passion working with wood and being creative. I was told about the Mani, and searching on the internet I found a beautiful house here for rent. Even with a workshop attached to it. At that time I did not know much about the Mani. Just the first moment driving into the area one knows and feels this a special place. The mountains, the sea, the food, people.It felt right straight away.
Your passion is to work with wood. Did this interest develop when you decided to move to Greece? Or was this profession part of your past?
I worked in the financial market for many years and did several other jobs, but in my spare time I was always building something or being creative in one way or the other. So in a way what I am doing now was always with me, but I had to move to Greece to really allow my creativity to come out.
I have seen some of your work at our friends’ and customers’ homes. Among other things, a newly laid floor that looked very ‘vintage’. I actually thought that our friend had bought this house from the 1850s with such fantastically well-preserved floorboards! Do you have a favorite type of wood?
For me it is not really about the type of wood, but more the shape of the wood. Often I look at a piece of wood and automatically it comes to me what I can create with this. The challenge is finding the right pieces.
All creators know their own limits but find it difficult to say ‘no’ to the client. What assignments do you turn down?
I have turned down assignments and will turn down assignments where the energy between me and the client is not right. Good vibes and direct communication are important to me. I work on my projects and objects with the clients wishes in mind. To build up a solid connection.
Can you tell us what would be your dream assignment?
A dream assignment would be to restyle a hotel/restaurant/beach bar completely into something unique. Put my fingerprint on it. To be given a free pass on how to reshape an existing location. In order for guests to have a unique experience when they enter, and feel good.
How do you start your projects?
By talking to the client about what they want to have built, they show me the location, and often the idea of what to build there comes to me. And the search starts for the right materials.
How can a new customer get in touch with you?
They can reach me by telephone under +31 611941041 or +30 6983686676 , but they can also go to my website www.kloemelwood.com and leave their details there..
And my favorite question. Can you describe in just three words how and if your life has changed since you decided to move to Mani?
“Puzzlepieces come together”
