WONDERFUL

''There’s no point denying it: I love things, objects, stuff. I love them because I find them valuable and because I attach stories to them and that’s why I keep them. Obviously, I love my children, my husband, my friends and family more, but precious, wonderful things come a close second. Of almost every item in my house I can remember when and where I got it, and from whom, or where I bought it. Sometimes I even recall what my first impression of it was or what I was wearing that day. In our house a lot of everyday things that used to belong to my mother are still lying around. In the fourteen years since she passed away, tea cups have broken one by one and towels have started to fade and fray. And that’s okay. All these things put together form a kind of diary in which I live. 

Because I love things, I tend to understand the people who make them. Creative people are usually lovely people who lead good lives. They live in interesting places, like refurbished factories or derelict warehouses, and they make it work for them. Designers who have picked apart every seam, handled every screw, thought, considered and reconsidered… They love their objects. Every detail tells a story about the choices they made – or were forced to make – during the production process and which turned out surprisingly well. A piece that had to be discarded may even spark an idea for a new project. This creative process is like a rollercoaster: intoxicating and full of surprises.

And that is what it felt like for us in the old dairy where we live and work. We were uncertain at times, making the deadline was nerve-wracking, but we were determined to succeed in making WOTH Wonderful Things magazine. We did it together with a lot of people, with all the insight, knowledge and taste that we could muster. Have a look at the list of experienced and dedicated professionals who helped us, and the long list of names on the Thank you-page, all of whom helped with donations, buying a single issue or a year’s subscription before there was anything to show. And of course the designers, retailers and brands who committed to becoming a Founding Partner to something that was no more than an idea. Well, here it is: our first issue. I couldn’t feel prouder and hope you like what we have created. In the meantime, we are hard at work on issue nr. 2.'' 

— Foreword founding editor
Mary Hessing