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On 1 September 2026, we will have reached a milestone: 10 years of dedication, passion and craftsmanship.

What began as a small dream, without a family history in the field, has grown through hard work, through dreams spoken aloud and quietly nurtured, through continuous investment and learning, into a unique presence within the international restoration community.

Countless projects from private clients, museums at home and abroad, have found their way onto our worktables. Each one has been carefully restored and given a new life, entirely in keeping with the traditions of centuries-old craftsmanship.

As a craftsman, you learn every day how much there is still to discover, how much knowledge remains to be gained and how much there is still left to learn. Together with a dedicated team, we search for solutions that combine today’s resources and techniques with respect for the past, safeguarding the history and dreams of people from generations long gone and preserving them for the future.

You cannot help but feel proud to stand in the tradition of the artisans who came before us — the craftsmen and women who created the churches, cabinets, interiors and homes that have connected generations throughout the centuries, from the past to the present day.

It is our privilege and responsibility to continue this legacy, ensuring that the beauty, knowledge and stories embedded in these creations remain alive for generations to come.

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We are trademarking not only the full company name, but also the abbreviation and our logo. This ensures that the strong reputation we have built is protected as effectively as possible and helps prevent any unauthorized or improper use of our brand.

Because we feel that more and more people are left wanting after completing their training at Syntra — mainly because purchasing a kiln represents an investment that is often too high — we have decided to launch Birgit’s Open Workspace.

This initiative will offer makers the opportunity to continue developing their skills, experiment and create within a professional environment. It will fully come into its own at our new location, where the necessary space and facilities will allow it to grow.

As part of this expansion, a third kiln will be acquired, further strengthening our capacity to support craftsmanship, learning and the preservation of traditional techniques.

After an assessment period in 2023, we were awarded the label of the Michelangelo Foundation, a recognition of excellence in craftsmanship.

In 2024, we were also included in the Homo Faber Guide, an international reference for exceptional craftsmanship and contemporary artisans.

For us, this recognition carries a profound meaning. It is not something you can buy; it is something you earn. It is granted after a thorough evaluation and in-depth review of your company, your expertise, your working methods and your commitment to preserving and advancing craftsmanship.

After only a few months, our wholesale supplier in Ingelmunster ceased operations, and the Zierikzee Glass Atelier also closed its doors. As a result, we found ourselves — and virtually the entire regions of East and West Flanders — without a dedicated supplier.

We decided to take action: we established new contacts, built a website and gradually developed into more than just a supplier for artists and makers. We became a wholesaler offering everything related to the glass craft: glass, machinery, lead, paints and many other essential materials.

The strength of our story lies in the fact that we are not simply sellers. Every day, we work with the same tools and materials ourselves, allowing us to advise our customers from genuine hands-on experience.

What does not truly work in practice is something you will not find in our range. Every product we offer has earned its place because we know its value, its possibilities and its limitations through our own craftsmanship.

As the company continued to grow, the need for skilled craftspeople became increasingly urgent. However, the abolition of traditional craft training by the government at the time, combined with the short-sighted focus of university education on producing mainly theoreticians rather than practitioners, made it clear that action was needed.

There is little point in talking about preserving cultural heritage if there are no craftspeople left with the knowledge and skills to carry it forward. Heritage can only survive when it is actively practised.

That is why we developed our own in-house training programme. It allows people to progress step by step, mastering the craft while working in the studio. After seven years of training, practical experience, and the successful completion of a master's project, participants can earn the title of Certified Master Glazier.

The success of this approach speaks for itself: both of our current  glaziers are following this program and are now indispensable members of our workshop, ensuring that traditional craftsmanship continues to thrive while being passed on to the next generation.

We didn't know it and didn't expect  it. It was a total surprise the evening self!

With the Bruges Awards, the City of Bruges aims to highlight its entrepreneurs in a positive way. Following an open call, more than five hundred nominations were submitted across nine different categories. A jury selected five finalists in each category and ultimately chose one winner.

During the awards ceremony, several Bruges entrepreneurs were recognised for their achievements. De Republiek was the first organisation called onto the stage and can now proudly call itself Bruges Ambassador.

The award for Shopping Experience went to florist and interior decorator Frederiek Van Pamel. Glass artist Birgit Verplancke received the award for Start-up of the Year. The internationally operating software developer Secure Code Warrior was named the best Tech Scale-up.

Other Bruges talents were also honoured: top chocolatiers Dominique and Julius Persoone received the Flavourite Bruges award, while Atelier Flori won the award for Surprising Hospitality.

The Bruges Awards once again highlight the creativity, entrepreneurship and diversity of the vibrant business community in Bruges.

We launched our one-day workshops. Unlike many other providers, we believe it is essential to teach the techniques correctly from the very beginning. To give participants a solid foundation, the programme was later expanded into three sequential modules. In addition, we introduced a range of other workshops—shorter, more focused sessions designed for those who want to explore specific techniques.

We also invest a great deal of energy in our international workshops, organised under the banner "Learn and Enjoy."These multi-day workshops are aimed at glass artists who wish to specialise in a particular aspect of the craft. Examples include glass painting with Ellen Van Dijk and Tiffany techniques with Markus Klein. These workshops attract participants from all over the world and have become a rich source of inspiration and exchange of ideas among participants from different countries, backgrounds, and levels of experience.

Together with Marcel Vlamynck, we rented the Magdalena Church in Bruges to host a major exhibition. Together with renowned glass artists such as Peter en Joke Cbudde, Marjan Michielssen, and, in collaboration with Wietse, we created a retrospective showcasing the diversity and evolution of contemporary glass art.

The exhibition attracted more than 2,500 visitors. One of its pioneering aspects was that we also gave third-year students from the Glass Programme at Syntra West the opportunity to exhibit their work alongside established artists. For some of them, this became the beginning of a remarkable journey, as they later went on to become glass instructors at Syntra West themselves.

We launched our one-day workshops. Unlike many other providers, we believe it is essential to teach the techniques correctly from the very beginning. To give participants a solid foundation, the programme was later expanded into three sequential modules. In addition, we introduced a range of other workshops—shorter, more focused sessions designed for those who want to explore specific techniques.

We also invest a great deal of energy in our international workshops, organised under the banner "Learn and Enjoy."These multi-day workshops are aimed at glass artists who wish to specialise in a particular aspect of the craft. Examples include glass painting with Ellen Van Dijk and Tiffany techniques with Markus Kein. These workshops attract participants from all over the world and have become a rich source of inspiration and exchange of ideas among participants from different countries, backgrounds, and levels of experience.

Although I had sworn never to teach, I started as an instructor at Syntra West. That marked the beginning of my teaching career, which has since become an essential part of my craft. Over the years, some of my first students have become fellow instructors, and I eventually became Head-Teacher of the Glass Department..

After barely six months in the garage we had converted into a studio, the space had already become too small. We began looking for a larger workshop and found one on Grasdreef in Bruges. Oh, what a space it was...

I bought my second kiln.

Together with four fellow glass artists from Bruges (Annemie De Vadder, Marcel Vlamynck, Pia Burrick, and Herbert Monsieur), we exhibited at The Box, demonstrating the richness and diversity of glass art in Bruges.

After my studies I combined my own firm with a daytime job first at Mestdagh in Gent and later with Monument in Ingelmunster. Definitly decided I wanted to do things differently, I quite my job while covid put a hold on the whole world. Believing in what I wanted to achieve I didn't look back and started in my own enterprise als CE0.

My studio? The converted double garagespace in a renting house.

BirgitConRes was selected and awarded the label 'Handmade in Brugge'.

My first overall exhibition together with Wove-photogaphy in Gallerie N°13 in Oostkamp

After three years of study, at the beginning of my Master's programme, I became the first woman to be officially recognized by the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Economy as a certified craftsperson. Personally, though, I prefer to call myself a craftswoman.

Although I had already been creating small designs for several years, the requests gradually became more ambitious, and it was clear that investments in equipment and materials were needed. On 1 September, I officially started my journey as a self-employed student.

My studio? My brother's old bedroom on the second floor... and a first kiln in the basement.