DARING TO DREAM

Architecture and interior design are not abstract concepts, which has nothing to do with reality. Our homes and our offices, the stores and streets where we shop and walk, the summer and winter resorts where we have our vacation: all of these influence directly our way of life, defining its tempo and even our moods. Who doesn't have fond memories of a hotel or a home where they have felt relaxed or impressed by an innovative solution or a piece of furniture that is both comfortable and looking as a piece of art?

Achieving such results in our own home, office, residential building is an attractive idea. Everyone wants to stand out and to be up to date with the trends, particularly if comfort is not sacrificed for aesthetic's sake. But watching the good examples can only take you so far. The only way to have the desired quality is to consult with the best architects and interior designers in the field. Their job is a true challenge. They have to be able to read the needs and potential of the space. They consider how to achieve optimal functionality. They select materials, furniture and accessories. They even control the overhaul or the construction in order to be sure in the result.

As for clients who trust the right names, they end up with architectural environment and interior that are fit for their individuality and are pleasant to inhabit.

Established by professionals with significant experience, SOVA Architecture & Design studio (www.sovaarchitecture.com) offers a wide range of services in the field of architecture and interior design, public spaces, restoration. Regardless of whether it is a private house, a contemporary office space, a shop or a cafe, SOVA's ideas and interiors stand out with their trademark combination of clean style, innovative concepts, functionality. The studio has experience in designing of passive houses, and thanks to its close partnership with a team of engineers it also offers the full range of ВIМ services.

The attention to detail and the effort to understand and to answer to the needs of the client are among the most important criteria that a good architecture studio should meet. Cityscape (Sofia, 7 Plachkovski Manastir St, cityscape.bg) is such studio – and a lot more. Since its foundation in 2003, the studio for architecture and design has accumulated significant experience in creation of private, public and commercial buildings, interiors and complete solutions. The clean lines, the strive for an optimal combination between function and form, and vision and value, define the work of Cityscape. The professionals in it achieve this with constant communication with the client and with management of the complete process, from the architectural sketch to the technical development to the tiniest details. For achieving an optimal correspondence between plans and reality, the studio provides construction supervision of the project's implementation and the finishing works. What remains for the client is to share their dreams with Cityscape, and to watch how a team of motivated professionals turns them into a reality.

Environment influences the quality of life, the inhabitants' needs generate the different architectural trends and styles, and the best architecture is synthesis between all elements, believes architect Maxim Balkansky (www.maximbalkansky.com). His philosophy is reflected in his projects in the field of design and interior design. Since the beginning of his practice, when he won the competition for the interior of a restaurant chain, is evident a clear direction for use of natural materials and the balance between them. Elements such as wood, stone and linen fabric dominate the interior achieving harmony and successfully creating a memorable vision. Maxim Balkansky is actively engaged in each of his projects, and partners with leading companies for furniture and construction, thus saving the client time and effort.

"Architecture is more than a job, it's a mindset." E House Architects (Sofia, 33 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, phone: +359 897 851 202, www.ehousearchitects.com) is a team of enthusiastic designers whose projects embody the studio's motto. E House Architects offers high-quality solutions not only in the field of architecture and design, but also in specialized services such as quality restoration and adaptation of old heritage buildings. Taking the context of the particular site into consideration is one of E House Architects' strong suits. The team approaches every new project individually and from the principle position that quality design should reflect the people who use it. The studio also offers project management, author's supervision and consultations during construction.

The new technologies in doors, windows and facade systems offered by the producer Alu Koenig Stahl (www.alukoenigstahl.bg), reveal immense opportunities in architecture. The new generation of glazing systems is actively developed towards improvement of both thermoinsulation capabilities and design, which reduces the area of visible profiles while increasing the glass area. Thus is achieved improved thermo comfort, with more daylight in the rooms. The company is also developing options for openable large-scale windows that are increasingly popular in current architecture. The design of the new systems allows for a part of the casing to remain hidden, while staying invisibly integrated into the profiles. This is particularly relevant for door hinges and self-closing machines. Thus the only element remaining visible are the doorknobs, which are offered in elegant variants in a number of attractive colours. The profiles are increasingly becoming an outline that underlines the glazing, instead of a separate construction. Combined with well-selected sunscreening mechanisms, the windows are turning to an important functional and architectural element in modern construction.