Meet Mien Ruys
In the Get to know… section we regularly put a colleague in the spotlight. A great way to get to know our field of work and to show the faces behind our people-oriented company. This time a special portrait!
Buro Mien Ruys has been part of Prommenz for two years and as the bearer of her name, we not only safeguard the heritage of Mien Ruys, we also continue her vision. Last year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of her famous Gardens and on April 12 it will be exactly 121 years ago that Mien was born in Dedemsvaart.
Mien is the daughter of plant grower Moerheim in Dedemsvaart. She grew up with two brothers and two sisters and they all worked in the family business. Mien Ruys trained as a Garden & Landscape Architect, wrote books and had her own garden magazine 'Onze eigen tuin'. Mien is nationally and internationally known as a pioneer of modern garden architecture.
In 1904 Mien wrote in her diary 'Today my career has begun'. At that time she started a department 'Design' where her interest in the application of perennials in garden and landscape grew and grew. Mien had to go abroad for her education because studies in the direction of landscape architecture did not yet exist in the Netherlands. After Berlin and England she returned to Dedemsvaart.
Experimenting in the vegetable garden
Mien started experimenting in her parents' vegetable garden. She gained experience with shapes and plants. She learned about the soil and its effect on the plants in practice. This is where an important rule of thumb emerged for her: choose plants that are appropriate for the given circumstances. After her architecture studies in the 1930s, she started working with various architects from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Her preference for simplicity and clarity was expressed during these collaborations.
Essence of space
The search for the most optimal use of the outdoor space, in which the essence of the space and the possibilities of that specific location are used, formed a great driving force for Mien in her designs. Characteristic are the simple, functional layouts in which loose and natural planting was applied. Perennials gave the right nature experience to a garden in her eyes. She continued to experiment with plants, design and materials. The test gardens in Dedemsvaart still show her development over time and these can still be admired today.
Buro Mien Ruys then and now
Buro Mien Ruys established itself in 1943 in the heart of Amsterdam, where it was active until 2022. Mien herself passed away in 1990 at the age of 94, but the office was continued after that by designers garden & landscape architects, including Anet Scholma. She has led the beautiful office in recent years and in 2023 started training the design team of Prommenz and Smit Groenadvies. After two intensive years, she passed the baton to a new generation of Mien Ruys architects and designers.
Mien Ruys Office today
The current team of Buro Mien Ruys has learned the tricks of the trade and the ideas of Mien Ruys from Anet Scholma – who worked intensively with Mien for many years. Our landscape architects and designers therefore see Mien Ruys not only as a great example, but also secretly a bit as a colleague.
This year we would also like to introduce the design team of Buro Mien Ruys. We will follow in the footsteps of Mien Ruys and tell you what inspires us, how we still show Mien in the designs every day and in what way her ideas are still relevant today.
Inspiration podcast
Mien Ruys In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Gardens of Mien Ruys, a podcast series about the life and work of Mien Ruys was released in 2024. Exactly a century ago she started her life's work and her ideas are still very much alive today. Mien Ruys (1904-1999) experimented with design, planting and materials and had a progressive view. Terms such as sustainable, climate-adaptive or carefree green did not yet exist, but nature and healthy and happy users of the outdoor space were always central. Discover what we can learn from the past and apply in the future! The first episode features Anet Scholma, landscape architect and former owner of Buro Mien Ruys. She learned the tricks of the design trade from Mien Ruys, collaborated with her, continued her design agency and transferred it to Prommenz in 2022.
A special conversation from the first test garden of Mien Ruys in Dedemsvaart. Curious? Listen to the podcast below!
More about Mien
Want to know or read more about Mien? Then take a look at the site of Mien Ruys Gardens Foundation.
@Photos: archive Buro Mien Ruys
