About blikfang
The Shop for Scandinavian Design
Welcome to Blikfang, the store for Scandinavian design. Here you will find durable design that is made with love and attention. The name Blikfang comes from Danish and means eye-catcher. At Blikfang, 100% Scandinavian design is central, carefully selected based on durability in design and quality. Design that you will enjoy for years to come. In our store you will find a beautiful and varied selection of home accessories that bring atmosphere and coziness into your home and that you will enjoy using every day. Our collection is also perfect for giving as a gift and surprising the recipient.
My Love for Scandinavian Design
Let me introduce myself: I am Ingrid Deenen, owner of Blikfang. I discovered my love for the north in 2007, during my first visit to the Danish city of Copenhagen. A great city where I immediately felt at home. What attracts me to Scandinavian design is the simplicity of the design, the beautiful, high-quality materials and the inventiveness of the designs. I like it when products can be used for different purposes and last for years.
For years I dreamed of having my own store. An online store with Scandinavian design seemed a logical step. In 2013, I enjoyed opening my first online store 'uit 't Noorden'. Five years later, we entered into a collaboration with another entrepreneur, and together we opened a new online store in 2018: Blikfang. In 2020 we decided together that I would continue Blikfang alone. The online store grew quickly and I outgrew my workspace at home, so it was time for the next step.
Photo made by Lizet from LizetBeek.nl
Gift shop in Deventer
On October 8, 2020 I opened a physical store in the beautiful Hanseatic city of Deventer. This is the place where my customers can admire, feel and try out the collection in real life. I also run the online store from the store and ship all orders. If you see me sitting behind the computer in the back of the store, I am working on my online store.
My goal with Blikfang is to continue to surprise you with beautiful, sustainable Scandinavian design that you don't find on every street corner. Beautiful functional design that contributes to a more pleasant life and lasts for years due to its quality. The design can come to life and show signs of use, because the Scandinavians also appreciate that. Design is there to use and enjoy. Sometimes you may have to save up for it and look forward to it. Or you buy an additional item every year, so that after a number of years you have built up a beautiful set, completely according to your wishes.
Conscious selection and timeless items
I put together the Blikfang collection entirely myself. I choose my brands very consciously and maintain good contact with the brands and designers. You won't find brands that launch hundreds of products per season with me. My preference is for brands with a good basic collection that they supplement with a few new items each season. At Blikfang you will not find trend-sensitive items, but timeless products that can fit various trends and that you can enjoy for years without them going out of fashion. I also think it is important that brands also engage in responsible entrepreneurship when it comes to transport, packaging, use of materials and production.
Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Since 2013, I have also consciously made different choices to work smarter, more economically and more responsibly. As an online store you use a lot of packaging material, so I have implemented various sustainable changes. I no longer use plastic packaging material, instead I reuse paper filler from my suppliers or use new recycled filling paper.
In addition, I try to reuse more and more shipping boxes from my suppliers. Although this is sometimes difficult due to the large sizes of the boxes, I cut them to smaller sizes whenever possible. I always ensure that I ship the products in the smallest boxes possible, taking into account the safety of fragile items that need extra protection all around. Unfortunately, I don't have a perfectly fitting shipping box for every product, so sometimes the product has more space than necessary, but I will continue to optimize that.
Green shipping options
When the physical store opened in 2020, I chose to work with the bicycle courier. They collect most packages from me and deliver them via bicycle couriers throughout the country. For areas where bicycle couriers are not yet active, the bicycle courier works with GLS for parcels and DHL for letterbox parcels. I personally take packages that need to be sent via PostNL (or DPD) to a return point on foot or by bike.
Behind the scenes
I also take steps behind the scenes to work more responsibly. All packing slips (unfortunately it is not workable without these slips) are printed on paper made from agricultural waste (stems and leaves) and the thank you cards are made from recycled paper. Since 2022, I have drastically reduced my paper administration and only print purchase invoices that are really necessary for my administrative process. This is a big difference compared to a few years ago, when I filled at least five binders per year.
Sustainable collection
With my collection I also wanted to make an important contribution to preventing the waste mountain from increasing. Because the products are timeless and of high quality, they will last for years and you can enjoy them for a long time. I believe it is better to buy one beautiful item than five mediocre ones that you replace after a year. This contributes to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Visit our store in Deventer (Nieuwstraat 51) or discover our collection online. At Blikfang you will always find something special, 'an eye-catcher' that enriches your interior and makes your life more pleasant.
Have fun in the webshop or visit our store in Deventer (Nieuwstraat 51).
Lovely greetings,
Ingrid
Photo made by Lizet from LizetBeek.nl
