The Pen | Are you the new benchmark?

Of course, right in the first lines of this guest column, I want to express my thanks to the final editors for giving me my 500 "words of fame" here. Nice! A great opportunity to put forward my vision and hopefully make every reader think.

How much, how and what have you innovated in the last few years? Which of you is the inspirational Steve Jobs of the kitchen industry? Which of you is the ever-talkative Elon Musk of interior design? Who among you is the new benchmark? (And, do you want to be?) Who among you has created a product that nobody missed when it wasn't there, but which people can't miss now, because it's there?

I'll be perfectly honest: I haven't seen them. OK, of course you can raise the question here of what exactly you mean by 'innovation,' but really something radical, something shockingly new, which really started a new movement, I have not observed. I see that 'innovations' mostly build on previous products. Actually you are talking about 'ordinary product development,' right? In fact, it is all somewhat conservative and perhaps even conservative.

I am therefore convinced that we must all remain vigilant. 

Because, it's really scary when suddenly an Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or other Disruptive Nerd steps into the industry causing all of us to be relegated to the sidelines. Or are we powerful enough? Do we have the guts to show the audacity that occasionally crosses our minds, but which we do not yet practice in daily practice?

Okay. Good question. I always try to be my own Elon Musk. I am constantly talking to the industry, I want to excite and challenge as I exchange views with all possible stakeholders. Listening carefully to what I hear between the lines and especially looking around me. I force myself to be open to everything that comes my way. Without value judgments which allows me to come up with something new at the craziest moments. Moreover, in recent years I have started to look much more at youth: you sometimes find very surprising creativity there. And a start of disruptive thinking. 

The most important trends today? Of course the circular thinking. When I look at kitchen countertops, I am delighted to see that they actually no longer have an "end of life" but that new possibilities arise after the last use. In addition, I see that space is becoming scarcer, making living more expensive, so people are looking - on less square footage - for creative integrated solutions. These are beautiful innovations. I am proud to work with them on a daily basis.

Still, hey... Alertness remains the credo. Elon, Steve and other talents are certainly poised to suddenly surprise us in the industry. 

What is your answer?