Overview of the history of the "Men from Gooi" John and Derkan

John (42) and Derkan (39), entrepreneurs and founders of 'Stoned' Renovated town house from 1902 in Bussum Purchased in 2020 The work inside is finished, this summer they start the garden The lifestyle of John and Derkan John and Derkan met almost ten years ago in Amsterdam. John originally came to the Dutch capital to study, Derkan to work. In the meantime, they have set up their own company here: Stoned. The love of marble combined with the love of interiors has resulted in a beautiful (online) shop with various marble interior items, which are also sold worldwide in luxury department stores and design shops. For the past 4 months, Derkan and John have been living in their new home in Bussum. Leaving Amsterdam was not part of the plan, but the couple instantly fell in love with an old town house about 30 kilometres from the capital. John: "When we first looked at it, we immediately saw the possibilities. Renovation is difficult, but we both thought: let's do it! But still with a result as soon as possible." John and Derkan are not the type to have a set multi-year plan. Nor are they do-it-yourselfers who like to work on the renovation for a long time. Derkan, for example, had already ordered a sideboard from Furnified when the renovation hadn't even started yet. In their opinion, it's not the route that counts - they even say that " renovation is pretty shitty" - it's the result that counts. John and Derkan's lifestyle Derkan and John have a flair for all things beautiful. So their home is a mixture of styles and colours. Derkan: "We really like marble and its combination with other natural materials. We already liked the classic elements of the house, and in combination with a cleaner design, it became really original. We also chose to have a difference between day and night: on the ground floor, our walls, doors and window frames are the whitest white - while upstairs, everything is dark blue and black." Scandinavian design, New York interior vibes, wood and marble... everything goes through the roof. And it works. John: "The living room is so white that it can feel like a cold art studio - and that's not a bad thing - but by combining it with other neutral colours and natural elements, it doesn’t. As our interior is basically neutral, we like to add a lot of colour. Then we do it with funky accessories and art." As owners of their own marble interior business, it's hard to choose when asked what they think is an eye-catcher in their home. John: "Our pink marble dining table is always number one. It always gets the biggest compliments when we have company. We are also very happy with the wall on which the Furnified buffet is placed. The combination of the sideboard with the table books, accessories and design lamp is perfect. We like to watch good tv-shows and films, so television is important." Derkan: "I'm a big movie fan and I really have a mega collection. There is a whole wall full of DVDs in the cinema room to draw attention. You will also find the Flora chair from Furnified. The bright bay window with the big Phycus lyrata in it is also a wonderful piece." The men's favourite pastimes are not hard to guess. Spending time with friends around the pink table, with a good glass of wine and a plate full of goodies. John loves to cook, so it's very important to him. John: "Our house is 'almost finished', at the end of July we will start renovating the garden. During the renovations I want a spacious terrace and room for a good herb garden. To start the evening with friends, they often start with a good glass of wine or a cocktail from the bar in the dining room. If no friends are around at the weekend, you'll find Derkan in his cinema room. And wherever they are, they are closely followed by the dog Tarkan. "He completes the gentlemen's household," says Derkan. Furnified's friends John and Derkan are fans of Furnified. When we ask why, the answer is quick. Derkan: "Because the furniture matches perfectly. The teak sideboard and the teak bar cabinet, for example, go very well together. We like the vintage look, but also the fact that the furniture has not had a previous owner." John: "We also really like the idea of customising our furniture - for example, choosing a different pair of legs for a particular cabinet. That way we think the furniture fits us and the house even better. In the end, it's just nice stuff for a reasonable price." Before the house renovation began, their moodboard was predominantly white, with marble and wood and complemented by design classics. For them, the white walls and wood of the Furnified cabinets formed the basis of their interior. The rest developed organically over the following months. One of the gentlemen's tricks is the bouclé footstool. "It's already been put in a lot of places in the house, it really does fit everywhere." "The basis of our interior? Buckets of white paint and Furnified's cabinets." Curious to see more? Then visit @gooisemannen on Instagram. John: "To keep our friends and family updated on the renovations, we created this Insta account. Because we are Gooise in the making."