Dijkzigt Wall Clocks

Some projects just make you smile the moment they land on your desk. That’s exactly what happened when Linda from The Talk Of The Town—a fellow maker and designer with a passion for reuse—knocked on my door. It’s her mission to create responsible designs that give iconic Rotterdam landmarks a second life. This time, it was a wall clock crafted from linoleum salvaged from the now-demolished Dijkzigt Hospital, paired with authentic nurse call buttons—instantly recognizable to anyone who ever walked those hospital corridors.

The prototype had great potential, but also plenty of challenges. How do you precision-cut linoleum without the flexible material shifting all over the place? How do you hide screws in a wall mount while keeping the design clean and minimal?

It was the kind of puzzle I love to solve. After some testing, I found the perfect method to CNC-cut the linoleum with accuracy and almost no material waste. For the wall mount, I designed a clever two-part wooden block that neatly concealed the screws. To top it off, I used the laser cutter to engrave recesses into the blocks for the logo plates.

The result: A clock that doesn’t just tell time—it tells a story. A piece of Rotterdam’s history, transformed into a beautiful circular design. Projects like this light up my maker’s brain instantly!