To pass by a beautiful showcase of furniture and lighting fixtures on the streets of Sofia is rare. Because of the need for more space, many furniture showrooms are logically located outside the centre and you really need a reason to visit them. On the one hand, this is quite normal - whether they are specialized - for carpets, bathrooms, kitchens, or offer complete home furnishings; whether they offer designer brands from Italy, Spain, Scandinavia or mass and affordable interior solutions, they are for people who at some point in life make a change in their home. On the other hand, showrooms are not just shops, but spaces with a certain aesthetic concept and their atmosphere is a real experience. As much as modern life has become digitalized and as many home furnishing stores are online, showrooms remain the places where we can see the furniture in person, touch it, and most importantly, feel whether or not we identify with the styles they offer. The personal touch, attitude, qualifications and professionalism of the people we interact with there are also an important point in the complex decision of who to rely on when furnishing our home.
We offer you a short, far from exhaustive selection of showrooms in Sofia, some of which have proven over time their professionalism and dedication to the cause of interior design, others that have emerged in the last few years with fresh ideas and brought new brands. In any case, these are the places where we can go and as we go to an art gallery - just to experience that wonderful feeling of touching the beauty and art of design. Our other criteria are clear - the value of the products on offer and the quality of the overall customer service.
WAREHOUSE
ul. "Tsar Kaloyan" 10
It is unlikely that you do not know about SKLADA - a place that is hard to define as just a showroom. Although it takes its name from the industrial space it occupied for years in the former printing house on ul. Benkovski Street, the shop recently moved to 10 Kaloyan Street. Great news for anyone who can combine a stroll in the city centre with a visit to one of the most inspiring design spaces in the country. As the WAREHOUSE says: "you will, however, need quite a serious browsing to get acquainted with the whole variety of furniture and accessories that we have selected from the best European and world manufacturers - from Japan to Croatia, passing, of course, through Italy, but also Bulgaria and Brazil." Very, very high expertise in terms of contemporary design.
GAMMA DESIGN
ul. "Parchevich" 49 A
Yet another destination for design connoisseurs in the centre - Gamma Design's beautiful house at the end of ul. "Parchevich", a step away from "Rakovski", exists as if in another world. The story of the restoration of the building, a dilapidated former community centre that Gamma's owners are bringing back to life with a reverence for architectural heritage, is inspiring in itself. With years of experience in interior design and offering quality designer furniture and dozens of brands in its portfolio, the showroom is the exclusive representative of Italian factories Living Divani and Moroso. Why we recommend it - Gamma Design is the name behind some of the best interiors in the country. It offers products of uncompromising quality. It has a clear aesthetic stance, "We make a difference between the expensive and the beautiful."
Design Studio Helix SM
str. "Dospat" 23
dospas Str. "9-11 Svilenitsa
ul. "89 Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. 112
Three addresses in Sofia, behind which stands the name of Helix with over 20 years of experience in offering designer furniture and designing interiors. Like SKLADA and Gamma Design, (as indeed all represented here), the company offers complete "home & design" project execution. The showroom on ul. "Dospat" next to the Madara bath garden is a beautiful, bright and welcoming space where one can see the latest models of Valcucine kitchens and furniture from Ligne Roset collections (Helix SM is the exclusive representative of the French brand in the country). For Poltrona Frau's furniture, famous for its workmanship and the quality of its leather, go to ul. Svilenitsa 9-11.
VERDE INTERIORI
bul. "Patriarch Evtimiy 78
Another downtown place worth knowing when we need reliable advice on interior design, furniture, lighting, textiles. Verde offers a good selection of interior products and furniture other than the widely offered "confection" in the mid to high end. The emphasis on quality textiles rarely found in this country - bedspreads, curtains, cushions, 100% linen bed linen, wallpapers, carpets - is appreciated. Paluco lamps are also a very good find in the showroom's portfolio.
VERRSUS / SELAMORE
blvd. "Simeonovsko shose" 120
A must-visit address in many ways - the combination between the two showrooms enormously expands the possibilities for an individual approach to each client's needs and to projects of different scales and budgets. In Selamore we can find a large exposition of products of established Italian brands: Natuzzi, Calligaris, Cattelan Italia, Gruppo Doimo, Alberta Salotti, etc. The modern polished concrete building of Verrsus presents high-end Italian furniture - Minotti, Molteni&C, Flou, Baxter, the Spanish brand of garden and outdoor furniture Kettal, the Italian Gervasoni 1882. With the help of designers who work in the showroom,you can make a complete interior design project of your home, and this includes, in addition to furniture and flooring (natural parquet, marble, granite and faience) and furniture for wet rooms and bathrooms from some of the best Italian and world manufacturers - Flaminia, Zuccheti.Kos, Mutina and others.
Sofia Design District
boulevard. Simeonovsko Shose, 91
Impressive with the scale of the space and the wealth of brands presented, Sofia Design District appeared three years ago and is already a well-known place for both interior designers and end customers. With the rise of Scandinavian design as a trend in interiors, the focus on brands - contemporary and classic - that come from the Netherlands and Denmark is expected and logical. In District 2 Scandinavian Living, for the first time in Bulgaria, space is dedicated entirely to the presentation of Scandinavian brands little known on our market - Carl Hansen & Son, Friz Hansen, Fredericia, Erik Jorgensen, Muuto, DK3, Light Years, Secto Design, Andtradition... District 4 focuses on leading brands in high-end Italian design. The opportunity to choose furniture and lighting of different class and style together with accessories and decorative objects is presented in a spectacular scenography, making the choice a pleasant experience.
http://www.sofiadesigndistrict.com
NIDO
blvd. "Andrey Lyapchev" 1
A showroom with a history, NIDO is among the established companies in the trade of products for the interior, design and complex solutions for the home. In 2104, Italian architect Mirko Tatarini designed NIDO's current space - intriguing in its own right as an interior and architecture. The display of furniture, lighting, flooring and bathroom furnishings is presented spectacularly in interconnected wooden volumes reminiscent of cottages. The showroom works with over 150 factories from Italy, Spain and Germany and presents the latest trends and technological advances in the world of interior design. There is also a selection for lovers of classic style in furnishing.
STOL
bul. "А. Pushkin" 31
Located in its own building on 900 sq.m. area, STOL has been on the market for 25 years. The atmosphere in the showroom has been created with respect to luxury and sensory perception of the interior. It represents more than 100 furniture manufacturers from Italy, Spain, Holland. Luxury brands such as Visionaire, Ferre, Roberto Cavalli, Casamilano. Longhi, Cantori, Selva, furniture and lamps in classic and contemporary styles, decorative accents and artistic mosaics - all available together with interior design and consultation.
HOME SELECTION
blvd. Bulgaria 81 A
One of the showrooms that have emerged in recent years. We noticed it because of its focus on Danish design - it is an official importer of the INNOVATION LIVING brand, which stands out for stylish solutions for contemporary interiors at affordable prices. Spread over two levels, the showroom features a good selection in which the pursuit of functionality and practicality impresses. An essential element of the services offered by HOME SELECTION are the renovations and supervision, which are personally managed by one of the company's owners, a specialist with experience in interior renovations.
ELEGANT LIVING
blvd. "Vasil Levski" 15-17, business building "Oscar"
Passing by on foot or by car along the boulevard, one cannot help but notice the shop windows on the ground floor of the business building. Spectacularly illuminated with lamps by TOM DIXON and LEE BROOM, with furniture by MOOOI, FENDI CASA, ETRO, the new showroom offers a fresh look at interior, decoration and lifestyle. The highlights of Elegant Living are two - an interesting selection of decorative accents for interiors and furnishings, wallpapers, carpets of the luxury lifestyle brands of the Luxury Living Group consortium. The wide selection of furniture, lamps and home and gift accessories from the collections of Seletti, Pols Potten, Zuiver, Dutch Bone, Michael Aram, dinnerware, cutlery and glasses, Chinese vases and planters fully supports what its creators say: 'We do not set style boundaries and do not blindly follow trends - because the home is unique and unique - just like each of us.' Something else distinctive about the showroom is the drive to offer global bestsellers like the Tom Dixon collections in stock.
Author
Lydia Manolova is an author and journalist specialising in design, architecture and lifestyle. She is a former interiors editor at Bravacasa magazine who has covered the international design news scene for over a decade. He works with Bulgarian architects and creative entrepreneurs. He lives in Sofia and loves his city.