My Journey: From an Apartment in Antwerp to a Farmhouse in Wirtzfeld

Hi, I am Loucas and the owner of You’re Welcome Furniture. Come with me on a captivating journey that began right in the heart of Antwerp and eventually led me to the tranquil embrace of the Wirtzfeld countryside.

I started You’re Welcome in the spring of 2019 inside my apartment in Antwerp. Living in Antwerp I realised that it is possible to buy designer furniture and objects at some of the local markets that took place weekly around the city. Those who knew where to look could find incredible bargains, and I was quick to spot the potential.

Most of the time the pieces needed to be repaired and I spent a good part of a year heavily researching and learning the correct methods of repairing furniture. I started out by repairing the items either in my lounge or on my balcony. It was a humble beginning, but it laid the foundation for something that would completely transform my life.

My work space was tight as you can imagine and in 2020 my wife and I decided to move to a house in the city centre that offered us a bit more workspace. The ground floor of the house served as a showroom/upholstery space/ photographic studio and all the woodworking happened in the basement. As time passed and You’re Welcome Furniture continued to flourish, the confines of our city home seemed to close in once again. Our inventory grew, and the demand for workspace intensified.

After two years we decided to move out to the countryside in Wallonia close to where my wife is originally from and we started our search for a house to buy that had enough workspaces for the both of us. We happened to find a house in a small village called Wirtzfeld which had ample space for the both of us. The house was a former farm and had all the barns converted into workshops in the 1970’s. The previous owners started their metal work business on the premises and then built a bigger factory on the other side of the village where their business still remains today.

The spaces were perfect for our needs. The house has two big workshops of 180sqm each and to workshops of 70sqms. My wife, a graphic artist, occupies the top large workspace and this space will be turned into an art gallery/artist residency space in the future. You’re Welcome has the bottom large workspace, the showroom, a wood workshop and a separate upholstery atelier.

Having these spaces available to us has made an immense difference in the way that we are able to work now. 

Join us on this extraordinary journey, as You’re Welcome Furniture continues to blur the lines between artistry and functionality, where the past seamlessly meets the present, and where every piece of furniture tells a story of rebirth and transformation.