Hello, I’m Nico and I live near the beautiful city of Bruges in Belgium. There in the shadow of the historic Abbey of Male, I carve wooden spoons and turn bowls as a living. It all started with my job as an educator. There, I used nature as a medium to work with different groups. From climbing trees, making fires to building camps. We created and learned to trust in and with our hands.

Working with a beautiful and sustainable material like wood brought me back to the essence. As a spoon carver and bowlturner, you work with and in nature. Respect and care are central to this. My passion for wood sparked my interest in tree care. For me, it is an honor to care for these old giants. So, in addition to being a greenwoodworker, I am also a arborist, a logical and perfect combination for me. My greenwood adventure started in 2017 on vacation in Norway. Started carving with help from online video’s such as Zed Outdoors, Wille Sundqvist,…. Where in 2019, it received a first huge boost at Spoonfest. Over the past years, I have followed courses with numerous makers, like Mikey Elefant, Yoav Elkayem, Andrea Grad, Don nazletzy, Jill Swann,…and attended festivals like spoontown and the bowlgathering. In addition, I have shared my experiences with spoon carvers both in and outside the country trough teaching and workshops.

As I like to share my knowledge, I also like to share other things. Like greenwood. As a arborist I have easy acces to a sustainable wood source The wood is saved from the chipper or the firewoodpile and is not just cut down without any reason. My stock is always changing, so the woodspecies vary between: birch, cherry, sycamore, apple, beech, willow, alder and many other native and sometimes exotic species.

‘Handgemaakt geluk’ means Handmade happiness in Flemish. It is not only my business name but also my life motto, and I hope to radiate that as well.

You can find out more at www.handgemaakt-geluk.be & @handgemaakt.geluk