I’ve known Jantje my whole life.
In every class there was always a Jan,
but there was only one Jantje.

He lived right across the street from us.
The same kind of house as ours,
but completely different inside:
sleek, modern, white.
One of the first projects by Jan des Bouvrie,
we later heard.

In the living room stood
a Bang & Olufsen stereo.
No one had anything like it.
Pure design.
And Jantje—he loved music.
If you were in the car with him,
you’d always end up shouting:
“Jantje, can you turn that down?!”

When he moved out on his own,
his apartment slowly filled up
with vintage B&O equipment.
Through Marktplaats, he sourced pieces
from all over the country.
After a while, you’d practically trip
over the speakers.

And then, one day, he left for Spain.
New country. New beginning.
Sun, space, a different life.
And the first thing he packed?
His carefully built B&O collection.

It was the only thing that really had
to come with him.

These days, he splits his time
between the Netherlands and Spain.
But he only truly feels at home
where his B&O gear is.