Xyleia Natural Interiors

Interior Concepts

Xyleia, Natural Interiors a company that Jan Jaap Lems founded in 2007. His fascination for petrified wood arose when he worked as a director at the Dutch International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. “The local population hosted a weekly Friday market on the courtyard of the school, and I got in touch with a dealer in petrified wood”, says Lems. Jan Jaap Lems had found his passion and founded Xyleia Natural Interiors after returning to the Netherlands. An entrepreneur who follows his heart, is down to earth, and passionately and creatively makes use of his opportunities. Twice a year, Xyleia Natural Interiors hosts a stand at fairs: Ambiente in Frankfurt and Maison & Objet in Paris. Here, the company extends its network and does business with designers, architects, hotel owners and natural stone traders. Xyleia also delivers to individuals.

The petrified fossils mostly originate from Indonesia. They are processed into (serving) tables, tombstones, plates, bowls, sculptures and sinks, to name a few of the most important applications.

In addition to wood, Xyleia imports massive wooden trunk tables from Thailand. The tables are made of tree species albizia saman (aka suar or monkey pod). This tree is originally not from the rainforests in South East Asia, and cutting down the wood is legally allowed. It is also used to make consoles, coffee tables, benches and stools. This year, Xyleia has started importing lamps, made of natural materials from Thailand. Lems intensively maintains his contacts with suppliers from Thailand and Indonesia. H speaks the language and knows the culture. In Indonesia, his own storage space was built. Four times a year, he goes to Asia for several weeks for procurement and to supervise and control the production and packing process.

Growth Ambition

The exports of Xyleia generate 50% of the turnover. Jan Jaap expects the significant export growth of recent years to continue. At international fairs in particular, new business relationships are being built with people from all over the world. Recently, a first trial shipment was sent to a large exclusive furniture chain in the USA, with possibly more future orders.

In addition, increasingly more German visitors visit his large showroom of 2,000 m2. Their enthusiastic reactions (“you should open a store in Germany as well!”) stimulate him to focus on the German market more.