From idea to business
Director Jan Jaap Lems first became acquainted with petrified wood during his work as a teacher at the Dutch International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. Every Friday, a small market for parents and staff took place on the covered square at the school. Mr. Cecep would often be there with small pieces of petrified wood. Jan Jaap became fascinated and asked if he could come along to the sites. One thing led to another - Mr. Cecep is now the manager of our workshop in Sukabumi.
After 25 years in education, Jan Jaap decided to change course. Since 2007, he has been importing special products made of petrified wood and wood from Indonesia. In the early years, various barns served as showrooms.
In 2012, disaster struck: the company burned down completely. Fortunately, Xyleia was able to restart in the former showroom of Boerhof Wonen in Heeten, thanks to the help of Mr. John Boerhof, who initially made the building available almost free of charge. There, the collection grew quickly, including tree trunk tables and furniture. The trade name Lefulux Wonen was introduced for this expansion.
For several years, Lefulux Wonen successfully sold sofas, armchairs, dining chairs and antique Indian cabinets. In 2023, we were told that the building would be demolished to make way for housing. Furniture made of petrified wood and wood was marketed under the name Xyleia Natural Interiors.
Since January 2024, the company has been located in a former factory in Twello. Here we focus entirely on petrified wood. For that reason, the name has been changed to Xyleia Petrified Wood.
Our team consists of five employees in the Netherlands and six in Indonesia.
The name Xyleia
The name Xyleia is derived from the Greek word for “wood”. Xyleia Petrified Wood specializes in exclusive furniture made from natural materials, with an emphasis on petrified wood from Indonesia.
Indonesia
Jan Jaap travels to Indonesia three times a year to personally select the most beautiful pieces of petrified wood. In our workshop in Sukabumi, the stones are then carefully polished by our craftsmen. The packaging and shipping also takes place here. On average four to five times a year, a container full of unique finds leaves for the Netherlands. From here we ship the stones all over Europe, and even beyond.
Our products are all unique, of high quality and true works of art of nature.
Visit our showroom
De showroom from Xyleia Petrified Wood is located in the village of Twello, between Deventer and Apeldoorn. View our Contact page for address details, opening hours and more information.