Interior designer Jan des Bouvrie died six weeks ago at the age of 78. Although he had been ill for a while, his death came as a shock to many.
‘Time to go’
However, Monique saw how her husband was done with life. He was given morphine to suppress the pain, but still felt very sick inside. “I’ve had a wonderful life, I’ve done everything I wanted to do,” he told her. “Now is the time to go.”
Watch the conversation here:
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Jan des Bouvrie was one of the most prominent Dutch designers and has made an important mark on Dutch interiors in recent decades.
“I always have the feeling that he is ‘on a journey'”, says Monique. “His energy is still in the house. Before he went he said: ‘I am here, I will always be there, don’t be sad because you have to move on’.”
Windows and doors open
Jan took a week to say goodbye to friends and family. “Then it was time to let him go. He was first given a painkiller, then a sedative.
“I then opened all windows and doors”, Monique remembers. “Symbolically, you have to let someone go so someone can fly out.”
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The interior designer even sketched what his coffin should look like. “He wanted a white box with a very large flower arrangement of white and red roses on it.”
Tombstone
That coffin was built, but large-scale burials are not possible in Corona time. That was quite difficult, says Monique. “We did everything at the grave, while the rain was pouring down from the sky.”
Des Bouvrie wanted the inscription on a tombstone: ‘Here is Jan, he could do something with it’. That stone will indeed be there, although the text will be on the back, says Monique. “He dealt with it with a lot of humor until the last moment.”
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