About

Four years ago, I started running. Within a year, I completed my first half-marathon. Six months into that running journey, I introduced heavy strength training to my routine, and almost simultaneously, CU-RA-TED was born.

From the very beginning, my athletic journey has been the exact test lab for my entrepreneurship. Every breakthrough, every limit, and every injury was felt physically before it manifested in my business. Today, my physical progression still runs exactly a few months ahead of my gallery, it is my ultimate predictor.

By my second year, I hit peak volume in every aspect of my life. Physically, I went all-in: combining heavy strength sessions with intense distance runs. At the exact same time, I pushed CU-RA-TED to its limits, sourcing heavy furniture, hosting non-stop pop-up stores, and chasing endless collaborations. I was running on pure adrenaline and force. Until the system crashed, resulting in physical injuries and business friction.

But I have come to realize that this extreme phase wasn't a mistake. It is simply how I learn. I need to do things intensely, frequently, and push boundaries to their absolute limits, just to filter out what truly matters and integrate it into a sustainable rhythm.

Recently, my athletic focus shifted entirely toward a disciplined hybrid training method: balancing heavy, intentional strength work with deep, restorative Zone 2 cardio. It required immense vulnerability to stop forcing immediate, exhausting peaks and instead trust the power of pacing, consistency, and recovery. For the first time this year, that newfound internal calm even allowed me to step out of my solitary tunnel and start training together with others.

Now, that exact athletic breakthrough has caught up with my business. I am officially moving from brute force to deep structural trust. The era of frantic rushing and chasing volume is over. From now on, I am intentionally choosing a new, balanced rhythm: fewer objects with deeper meaning.

This shift is manifested in de LHOFT, located at the Grotestraat in Goor. This is not just a showroom for my drops; it is a physical space born out of my own transformation. Because I found my rhythm, I could build a sanctuary that offers space for others to slow down, connect, and co-work.

Everything here is a reflection of three core principles:

The world is obsessed with fast peaks and instant success. But I have crashed at those peaks, and I now know that true longevity is built in silence, with patience, and at a sustainable rhythm. I already know I will run a 50 km trail for my 50th birthday. Because true strength doesn't rush.

Welcome to a more intentional chapter of design. Your space, at your pace.

Elies Bergboer — Founder & Curator