''On the threshold of 2017 I relive the finest moment we had last year (a rollercoaster by any standards). This one came out of the blue. We attended a ‘dinner for friends’ hosted by Maarten Baas and Sergio Herman set in the Baas exhibition during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Between courses Jan des Bouvrie spontaneously took hold of a microphone and started to praise Dutch Design. The beauty of it and the daring qualities of entrepreneurs like Marcel Wanders, Maarten Baas and talent of some

of the youngsters he always tends to be looking out for. Des Bouvrie is a grand old master and a well respected pioneer of furniture and interior starting out in the early sixties. Once he caught our sight, sitting right opposite where he was standing, he swiftly noted the new rising of WOTH magazine. Everyone applauded and a blush came to our cheeks. A fantastic evening; super food and even better company.

Looking back, there were quite a few memorable mo-ments. Starting with the launch of our magazine while a warm September sun overflowed the garden of Arita House in Amsterdam. More recent-ly; the intimate design- lecture Sabine Marcelis presented at our house to a small audience. She showed some samples of new materials and took us through brilliant projects she did for Hermes and KaDeWe. Visitors comfortably sat on our cou-ches enjoying the show and Toon served his home- cooked Asian Glazed Chicken. Simple things can make moments legendary. So there you have it. Our creed for this year: let’s work, be proud and touch the clouds.''

— Foreword founding editor
Mary Hessing