With a solid background in woodworking, interior design and furniture design, Ruben Deriemaeker sketches, designs and makes furniture. Ruben particularly specialises in customised work. “My customers want something unique, a design with a story; well thought out and suited to the interior. I see it as a challenge to make sure that the furniture delivered is both functional and visually strong and translates the emotion that lies behind it. That is the X-factor, the added value I want to create for my customers.” In 2014, Ruben Deriemaeker founded the Antwerp Label DERI3. ‘DERI3’ is a contraction of Ruben Deriemaeker. Appropriately enough, the Dutch word for ‘maker’ appears in his family name. Ruben always knew he wanted to be a designer. He grew up in an Antwerp neighbourhood known for its Renaat Braem architecture. His preference goes to working with materials provided by nature. Wood stands out for him because of its raw strength of character. It symbolises the forests where he played when he was a child.