Jop van Driel

Carpenter

Stairway to heaven

Jop uses wood to fulfil his clients' wishes
He followed his father into making staircases
He finds inspiration for his sculptures in water, fire and smoke

Jop Van Driel specialises in tailor made wooden staircases and sculptures. As a child, he spent most of his free time in the workshop of his father, who was a renowned Dutch craftsman specialising in wooden staircases. There, Jop learned the basics of his craft, and later they started working together in the workshop, where they developed further techniques to achieve better results in their work. “I grew up in a village, but I wanted to see the world and meet interesting people,” says Jop. “One day somebody told me ‘When you become the best in your craft, you will meet kings and princes, and they will ask you all around the world to do your thing.’ That was an eye opener for me! From that moment on I wanted to become the best in my craft.”

Interview

What was the first object you made?: My very first object (I was about 16) was a handrail that I called The Arm of Michelangelo. I was trying to solve a problem in an important stair project that my father was working on. It was an amazing solution and a huge success at that time.
How do tradition and innovation entwine in your work?: At this moment I am developing a completely new way of stair building: I combine the oldest traditional techniques with the most modern techniques like 3D scanning, printing and sculpting.
Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?: Once I had to build a complete staircase for a villa in Ibiza. I made a model in MDF just to see if the stairs were comfortable enough and the dimensions were right. I was working there for three weeks, and eventually we managed to build the final stairs based on this model.
What advice should a young craftsperson always keep in mind?: Look for the best master you can find to teach you everything about your craft, and always be motivated. Don’t think that development stops after you master the craft, but keep being informed about new techniques, machines and so on, without ever losing the quality of the final product.

Jop van Driel is a master artisan: he began his career in 1991 and he started teaching in 2006