Fiction Factory
Fiction Factory is a privately held Amsterdam-based construction studio (founded 1989) that designs and fabricates bespoke retail interiors, museum exhibitions, hospitality installations, theatrical scenery, and trade show pavilions for luxury and enterprise clients, and sells the modular Wikkelhouse housing product across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Fiction Factory does
Fiction Factory is a privately held Dutch construction studio, founded in 1989 in Amsterdam as a theatre scenery workshop and now operating as Fiction Factory BV from a single Amsterdam Noord facility on the IJ. The company runs a multi-disciplinary in-house workshop covering woodwork (with CNC milling), metalwork (MIG/MAG, TIG, Pulse MIG, Arc welding), upholstery, painting, technical drafting (SpaceClaim CAD), and a "Science Fiction" prototyping department with 3D printers, laser cutters, and a plastic recycling lab built around the Precious Plastic Sheetpress. Its core service is bespoke fabrication for enterprise clients — retail interior fit-outs, museum exhibitions, hospitality installations, trade show pavilions, and one-off theatrical and creative productions — delivered to architects, designers, and direct brand clients across the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, South Korea, Bahrain, and elsewhere. Named customers include Hermès, Birkenstock, Vlisco, Dom Perignon, Urban Outfitters, Tony's Chocolonely, de Bijenkorf, G-Star, and several Dutch museums, alongside mid-market hospitality work (Van Stapele, Coffee & Coconuts, Bar Bonnie, Oedipus Brewing). The business model is project-based: each engagement is a custom one-off contract quoted against client specifications, supplemented by two productized revenue lines — Wikkelhouse (a proprietary modular housing concept made from cardboard, wood, and flax, sold directly to consumers in NL, FR, DE, BE) and Found Objects (an open-source parametric design tool that creates new material from CNC waste, with both material sales and associated consulting/prototyping services). Go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement driven by portfolio reputation, referrals from the European design community, and presence at Dutch Design Week and Milan Design Week.
Fiction Factory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fiction Factory
- Legal name
- Fiction Factory BV
- Website
- https://fictionfactory.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Fiction Factory is a privately held Amsterdam-based construction studio (founded 1989) that designs and fabricates bespoke retail interiors, museum exhibitions, hospitality installations, theatrical scenery, and trade show pavilions for luxury and enterprise clients, and sells the modular Wikkelhouse housing product across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fiction Factory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Fabrication Services
- NAICS
- Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212), Household and Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (33712), Office Furniture (including Fixtures) Manufacturing (3372)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities (MPADAIAE)
Keywords
Where Fiction Factory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fiction Factory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Custom Project Fabrication: Bespoke construction services for exhibitions, shop interiors, offices, restaurants, museums, retail spaces, and special one-off productions. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with architects, designers, and direct clients.
- Wikkelhouse Sales: Sale of modular Wikkelhouse units composed of 1.2m segments made from sustainable materials (wood, cardboard, flax). Sold as holiday homes, guest houses, or office spaces directly to consumers.
- Found Objects Material and Services: Sale of unique materials created from CNC waste, along with consulting, prototyping, design and engineering services for Found Objects projects.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fiction Factory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fiction Factory is a multi-disciplinary construction studio based in Amsterdam that fabricates bespoke retail interiors, shop displays, exhibition stands, theatre sceneries, restaurant and museum interiors, prototypes, and custom furniture using in-house wood, metal, painting, and upholstery capabilities. The company also sells its own proprietary modular housing product, Wikkelhouse, made from sustainable materials, and operates Found Objects, an open-source parametric design system that turns CNC production waste into usable furniture material.
Product overview
Fiction Factory is a professional construction studio founded in 1989, originally as a theatre scenery company that has grown into a multifaceted fabrication workshop. The company operates a portfolio of distinct offerings: its flagship sustainable housing product Wikkelhouse (a modular tiny house made from cardboard and sustainable materials), Found Objects (an open source parametric design tool for creating products from CNC waste), alongside comprehensive fabrication services including theatrical scenery, exhibition construction, retail interiors, and custom furniture manufacturing. The company maintains in-house workshops for woodwork with CNC milling, metalwork with various welding techniques, upholstery, and painting, enabling end-to-end project delivery from design through logistics. Projects span international locations including London, Barcelona, Seoul, and Bahrain.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wikkelhouse: A flexible, sustainable modular house concept made from wood, cardboard, and flax. Each Wikkelhouse consists of 1.2-meter-deep segments that can be connected to create living, working, or holiday spaces. Available in multiple countries including Netherlands, France, Germany, and Belgium.
Products and services
- Wikkelhouse A modular, sustainable tiny house concept made from cardboard, wood, and flax. Each Wikkelhouse consists of 1.2-meter-deep segments that can be easily connected to form various configurations for use as holiday homes, guest houses, or office spaces, sold directly to consumers.
- Found Objects An open-source parametric design tool and accompanying material system that creates unique shapes from leftover CNC sheet material, reducing manufacturing waste while producing new material for furniture and other products.
- Theatrical Scenery Construction Custom theatrical scenery construction including large-scale props, stage sets, and theatrical installations for theatres and productions.
- Exhibition Design and Construction Design and construction of exhibition stands and displays for museums, trade shows, and events, including custom furniture and display systems.
- Retail Interior Fit-out Complete interior fit-out services for retail spaces including shop interiors, window displays, and custom display furniture.
- Prototype Development Design and construction of prototypes for products going into series production, allowing designers to test and refine designs before mass manufacturing.
- Custom Furniture Manufacturing Bespoke furniture design and manufacturing including tables, chairs, cabinets, and custom pieces created in the Amsterdam workshop.
Companies that use Fiction Factory
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Fiction Factory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Fiction Factory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Open Oproep Bouwen aan talent)minorDutch creative industries fund supporting talent development in construction through open call program.
- Better FactorycoreEU-funded research project (Horizon 2020) for manufacturing innovation. Fiction Factory initiated the Better CNC Factory project within this program, focusing on reducing CNC waste through Found Objects.
- IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia)coreResearch institute collaborating on the Better CNC Factory project. IAAC contributes expertise in computational design and digital fabrication to the Found Objects initiative.
- Jesse HowardcoreDesigner collaborating on the Better CNC Factory project and Found Objects development. Partner in creating the parametric design tool and material system.
- Creative Industries Fund NLminorDutch cultural funding body supporting the Found Objects project financially.
- Waag FuturelabminorTechnology and society research organization supporting the Found Objects project through research collaboration.
- S+T+ARTSminorEU initiative supporting artistic innovation through technology. Sponsors/partners with Fiction Factory on Found Objects exhibitions and workshops.
- TNO Fieldlab voor emissieloos bouwenminorResearch collaboration on emission-free construction as part of the BioBased Economy initiative.
- RVO (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland)minorDutch government agency funding the '7-Loops naar Circulaire tentoonstellingsbouw' project on circular exhibition construction.
- OPEN!NEXTminorEU-funded research project (Horizon 2020) focused on transforming collaborative product creation. Fiction Factory participated in research on open-source manufacturing.
- HVA (Hogeschool van Amsterdam)minorAmsterdam University of Applied Sciences research collaboration on Repurpose-driven design and manufacturing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fiction Factory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bruns GmbH & Co. KG: German full-service exhibition, retail interior and event construction group with in-house wood/metal/painting capabilities. Closest analogue to Fiction Factory's combination of bespoke retail fit-out, exhibition construction, and global delivery, but at materially larger scale.
- Kossmann.dejong: Dutch exhibition design studio producing museum, brand, and cultural exhibitions with strong in-house fabrication and design integration. Comparable to Fiction Factory on the museum/exhibition side and similarly Dutch-headquartered and craft-driven.
- Tinker Imagineers: Dutch experience/exhibition design and build firm working with museums, brands and visitor centers. Overlaps with Fiction Factory's exhibition, museum, and retail interior work, including the same bespoke-craftsmanship positioning.
- Heijmerink Wagemakers: Dutch high-end bespoke furniture maker producing one-off and small-series pieces for interiors and retail. Comparable to Fiction Factory's custom furniture and millwork capabilities serving premium retail and hospitality clients.
- Edition van Ravenstein: Dutch custom furniture and interior manufacturer producing limited-edition and bespoke pieces for retail, hospitality, and private clients. Closely comparable to Fiction Factory's bespoke furniture and interior fit-out work.
Emerging players
- Studio Job: Dutch/Belgian design studio that designs and self-produces limited-edition objects and interiors with in-house fabrication. Comparable to Fiction Factory's design-and-make model, though more art/collectible oriented than retail fit-out.
- Aectual: Amsterdam-based company using large-format 3D printing for sustainable architectural and interior elements. Overlaps with Fiction Factory's digital-fabrication and sustainability narrative, particularly relevant for retail and exhibition interiors.
Others
- Droog Design: Dutch design platform/brand commissioning and selling experimental furniture and objects, often produced with Dutch fabricators. Adjacent to Fiction Factory as part of the same Dutch design-fabrication ecosystem, though Droog is a curator/brand rather than a fabricator.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fiction Factory social profiles
Digital presenceFiction Factory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fiction Factory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Fiction Factory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fiction Factory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fiction Factory
What does Fiction Factory do?
Fiction Factory is a multi-disciplinary construction studio based in Amsterdam that fabricates bespoke retail interiors, shop displays, exhibition stands, theatre sceneries, restaurant and museum interiors, prototypes, and custom furniture using in-house wood, metal, painting, and upholstery capabilities. The company also sells its own proprietary modular housing product, Wikkelhouse, made from sustainable materials, and operates Found Objects, an open-source parametric design system that turns CNC production waste into usable furniture material.
Is Fiction Factory a public or private company?
Fiction Factory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fiction Factory founded?
Fiction Factory was founded in 1989.
Where is Fiction Factory based?
Fiction Factory is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Fiction Factory make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Project Fabrication is the primary driver. The others are wikkelhouse Sales and found Objects Material and Services.
Who are Fiction Factory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bruns GmbH & Co. KG, Kossmann.dejong, Tinker Imagineers, Heijmerink Wagemakers and Edition van Ravenstein. Emerging players are Studio Job and Aectual. Droog Design is listed as an others.
Does Fiction Factory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fiction Factory.
What industry is Fiction Factory in?
Fiction Factory's product category is Custom Fabrication Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAIAE, Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities. Its NAICS code is 337212 and its SIC code is 2590.