From backpacker to furniture wholesaler

The 1990s began the remarkable story of Matthijs Bakker: the adventurous backpacker who transformed his passion for travel into a thriving furniture business, Livingfurn. His journey started in Australia, where, after working for some time, he met his wife Maike. This was a turning point in his life, just when he was considering returning to the Netherlands.

Fate, however, had other plans for Matthijs. Maike was about to travel to Indonesia and invited Matthijs to come along. During this trip, Matthijs discovered the rich culture and beautiful furniture of Indonesia, which left a deep impression on him. Back in the Netherlands, Matthijs could not get the beauty of Indonesian furniture out of his mind. Driven by this new passion, he borrowed money from his neighbour and founded his company Teak en Terras in 1999.

Old pig barn
Matthijs bravely started importing furniture from Indonesia, using an old pig barn in Doornenburg as storage. His business instinct and determination paid off. He sold the furniture in Arnhem and the surrounding area, which soon proved a great success. This was just the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. As the business grew, Matthijs learned the Indonesian language to foster even better business relationships and further expand his business.

His success did not stay unnoticed. Colleagues in the area were soon visiting Matthijs to see his collection. This led to the first B2B sales and the establishment of a wholesale business alongside the shop. Under the name Livingfurn, Matthijs also started customisation and set up his own production facility in Indonesia.

Experience center
The company grew steadily and in 2009 Livingfurn moved to larger premises in Elst, which now houses an experience centre. Matthijs expanded his business horizons and in 2011 Livingfurn also started serving customers internationally. This opened the door to expanding the product range.

The next big step for Livingfurn was expansion into India in 2012. Matthijs successfully applied the methods he had learned in Indonesia in India, creating new production sites. With the growing collections and sales results, more storage space soon became necessary. Several warehouse locations were set up on the Elst industrial estate.

25 years later
Now, 25 years later, Livingfurn is an established name in the furniture industry, both in the Netherlands and internationally. ‘’This ‘success story’ of Matthijs, who started as a simple backpacker and grew into a respected entrepreneur in the furniture industry, is an inspiration to many. It is a demonstration of what passion, perseverance and entrepreneurship can achieve. Matthijs and his team have proven that with hard work, vision and a bit of adventure, dreams can become reality. Livingfurn is now synonymous with quality, innovation and excellent craftsmanship, putting them at the forefront of the furniture industry.‘’