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Van Cronenburg, hand-cast, richly filled to the brim

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Location

Ghent

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Handiwork, not tape work!

This international artisan workshop, with an office in New York, designs an exclusive collection of hand-cast and hand-finished hardware, handles and locks. This company may be less known to the general public, but van Cronenburg works for the "greats of the world," a high-end clientele, and attracts renowned British, French and American architects and designers.

Fused...

Régine and Peter have a unique connection and met in the flow of life. They found themselves in an unstoppable dynamic. She was an antique dealer, he a furniture maker. Régine gets off to a great start, "It comes down to doing what you love! Richard Branson says that the best companies are born out of frustration. And that's how van Cronenburg came into being. Peter created interiors in newly built castles and stately homes, in a pure style. However, he did not find a nice hardware for his designs. He made handsome doors with the right moulures, but the machine-made hardware available at the time brought his entire design down.  

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"Bram and Marijke of Titeca are much more than our accountant, it is a valuable collaboration!"

WOW factor!

And so it happened. In 2008, Régine and Peter took up the challenge together, the start of a life's work. With great respect for historical designs from the past, they now create little works of art one by one. In this way, they are as it were back in the shoes of the original designers with the same issues.

Van Cronenburg just wants to deliver WOW factor. Whether it's about fittings, a quotation or a presentation. They go to great lengths to deliver a perfect product.

Be humble! All screws and noses in the same direction!

In 2008, van Cronenburg had an eventful start in the year that the banking crisis hit hard. They started with 3 people, Alex, Peter and Régine. "It was a tough fight, but it is our passion. As entrepreneurs, we opt for servant leadership; you work together with your people, no task is too small for us. This is how we keep in touch with the field. All entrepreneurs have to deal with similar problems, certain pitfalls, ... Van Cronenburg is also still in the middle of that learning process."

Filled to the brim!

At van Cronenburg you will find cabinets full of history and future. You can lose yourself in an endless library of authentic and historic doorknobs and locks... collected one by one. A building, richly filled, floor by floor. It groans under the weight of the many beloved historical books from which Peter draws his exclusive knowledge. Van Cronenburg will soon move to a new building on the Wiedauwkaai in Ghent.  

Through thick and thin

Van Cronenburg is grateful to her partner Titeca for the support, through thick and thin, with the necessary skepticism when it had to be. "We know what we have in each other," says Régine. 

And beyond...

Meanwhile, Régine and Peter can do their thing. Showing their fittings to the world. "They are like children of ours... Each piece has its own name, its character, its uniqueness, its use, its identity, its story, its history, its future...". Van Cronenburg, an extraordinary entrepreneurial story.

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