MY HOME IS MY INSPIRATION

What inspires you to wake up in the morning and to begin your life in good mood? Your family, your loved one, your dog, the thrill of a challenge in work or an upcoming travel are all things that inspire us to live to the full and with eagerness. But have you noticed how does interior inspire you?

The spaces we inhabit, in which we work and have fun influence our mood and health literally 24 hours a day. These signals are often subtle, but this doesn't make them less significant. The colour of a wall or of a dominating accessory can make us irritable or optimistic. The crackling of the burning fire relaxes us after a stressful day, and the cool darkness provided by the blinds in the middle of summer refreshes us. The functional and cosy kitchen turns cooking into a pleasure, and becomes the favourite room for the whole family. The well arranged office results in calm, friendly professional relationships.

The examples are countless. The ways to achieve the best interior for us are boundless, too. The modern world bombards us with trends, colour schemes, inspiring examples and "must-have" accessories.

Indeed, ideas and inspiring examples are everywhere. We are in awe with the exotic materials and furnishing in our hotel in Thailand, with the warm cosiness of wood in our chalet in the Austrian Alps, with the graciously aged rooms in our guesthouse in Toscana: and we imagine all of these transplanted in our own home. We fall in love with the interior solutions and home accessories on Pinterest, and we plunge into the next interior fashion wave taking over the world: the seemingly austere Scandinavian minimalism, the pleasant Provencal furniture, the gilt opulence of new Baroque, the hipster mania for vintage objects, the exposed concrete and metal surfaces of industrial style. We join the thousands of people all over the world who are trying to decipher the secret of hygge (pronounced hue-gah), the Danish cosiness concept, and we refuse to believe the Danes themselves, who claim that hygge is next to impossible to define, but that it is more in the creation of a community of family and friends rather than in buying the right furniture and home accessories, like a fireplace and candles.
Stressed by the unpredictable world we are living in, we crave for a calm sanctuary and we find it in the cosiness of our home or the controlled visual risk of a bar with an avant-garde design. Thus interior becomes a salvation from bad news and the tension they generate.

Sadly, for those who in the near future face moving to a new home or office, an overhaul or the opening of a hotel or a restaurant, the discovery of the optimal interior itself becomes a source of tension. There are so many things to decide! As a friend, who had to struggle with both changing home and a pregnancy, summed it up, "I have never expected that my pregnancy will be less demanding on me than the choice of bathroom tiles."

Happily, we are a part of a civilisation that has created interior design studios. Simultaneously artists and people with two legs into real life, interior designers are key for everyone who wants to have not a standard home, office or a restaurant, but a space with its own character that reflects the individuality of its inhabitants, and is both functional and modern. Good professionals know the latest trends in styles, colour schemes, materials and furnishing, and will never impose their opinions and ideas on their clients.

Interior designers are irreplaceable also in cases when you are looking for home appliances, and producers and suppliers of coverings, furnishing, blinds, accessories and objects of art. At the moment Bulgaria enjoys the presence of excellent companies, manufacturers and importers of interior elements, and the variety of products and suggestions can become dizzying. How to choose the best colour and material for the wood floor? And blinds, kitchen cupboards, furnishing for the children's room? How to install a fireplace in the living room? The question list can be endless – the good interior designer will deal with it, thus saving you stress, time and money.

How important interior designer is, becomes apparent in the following example: in central London, by the Tate Modern, rises an expensive residential building. The visitors of the museum's terrace have direct visibility to the living rooms of the residential building's inhabitants and a quick look (we have to respect other's privacy, of course) is enough to show which flats are rented and where owners are living in them. While the living rooms of the former are expensively, but standardly furnished and look lifeless regardless of the fact that there are people living in them, the living rooms of the latter show an astonishing variety of styles, betraying the intervention of a specialist. They are so attractive, that you are tempted to leave the museum, enter the residential building, ring on some of the doorbells, and ask to see the particular interior as an object of art.

But this is London, the sceptic would object. Yes, we would reply, but happily in Bulgaria we already have the designers, the manufacturers and the importers to achieve at a much more affordable price an interior that is like an object of art: an interior that inspires us to live.

"Interior design trends are ephemeral," says Nikoleta Krasteva from the interior design studio EXTRAVAGANCE design (phone: 0887 748 084, www.extravagancedesign.com). "Having a home that is always up to date is mission impossible, as trends constantly change. Interior should be created to meet the needs, character and temperament of the inhabitants, and in public spaces the vision should match the concept. People should follow the trends, but the fashionable colour or material should be an accent and not the main element in the interior. Thus the home can be easily updated, changed and refreshed. The colour of 2017, according to the colour expert Pantone, will be the dense green of the kale," adds Nikoleta Krasteva.

The clear, minimalistic vision in more monochrome variants is increasingly common in Bulgarian homes. "I recommend more neutral and discrete colours, with attention to accents, small details and accessories, which will provide cosiness and wholesome vision of the home," says Nikoleta Krasteva. "For the best results without much effort and expenses, the most reasonable option is to trust a professional designer. We at EXTRAVAGANCE design create the designs according to the requirements and the needs of our clients, and can provide help until their home is finished. We will be happy to create your dream home for you, because there is nothing more pleasant than spending your days in cosiness and comfort."

The good interior designer has talent, knowledge and skills transcending the ability to imagine how the room will look like at the end of the process: the professionals know each step of the way, are aware of the opportunities and the risks of the particular space, of the materials and the suppliers, and follow up the whole realisation from the concept to the final touches. Since 2002, the designer Stoian Pashov and his interior design studio Synergy Design (phone: 0888 12 72 72, syndes3@gmail.bg, www.facebook.com/Synergy Design) create functional, stylish and feasible residential and public interiors. The studio applies modern computer technologies and softwares, and its year-long experience in order to provide the client with the most realistic picture of the desired interior with actual sizes, shapes, textures and materials. Synergy Design uses modern and functional interior solutions, which bring style, practicality and life to each room of the home or the office. Thanks to the developed partnerships with all companies for materials and equipment for designer's projects, the studio can help you with the realisation of the project. The good co-ordination between the team of Synergy Design, the client and the contractors is crucial for achieving the most important thing: a finished project that is as close as possible to the owner's expectations.

Where is the golden mean between avant-garde design, comfort and individuality? This question might lack precise mathematical answer, but the work of Funkt Design Studio (Sofia, 45B Milin Kamak St, phone: 0878 570 905, www.funkt.eu) is a real life proof that this combination is achievable. Established 9 years ago by a team of young architects, who are not afraid of the unconventional and the innovative, Studio Funkt is behind the remarkable interiors of some of Sofia's emblematic restaurants and bars, of offices and working spaces, and the complete transformation of apartments and houses. Whatever the project they are working on, the Funkt's architects always create standout concepts and unique solutions, and turn each interior into a work of art. Funkt has its own furniture and lampshade line, which has been presented on prestigious international events like Vienna Design Week, Helsinki World Capital of Design, Ljubljana Design Week and One Design Week in Plovdiv. The studio has won several Public Interior of the Year awards, and during the Best Bar and Restaurant Design Awards 2015/2016 held in London Funkt was shortlisted in the category for the best bar in Europe.

The creation of cosy and practical interiors in a modern, clean style, coordinated with the requirements of the clients, distinguishes the work of Fine Design Interiors (Sofia, Mladost 1A, Anna Ahmatova St, block 537, phone: 0887 318 648, www.finedesign.bg). The studio's qualified professionals will help you with the full transformation of your home and will be with you at each step of the process, from the initial design to the repair works to the completion of the project. Fine Design offers a competent advice on the choice of paints, coverings and home appliances, and in its aim to transparency and correct relationship with the clients, it gives you a full information on the expenses. The opportunity for package price helps you to save time and money, and the service for furniture design, manufacture and installation is yet another guarantee that with Fine Design you will have a home like no-one else: a place that reflects your individuality.

The individuality of the inhabitants is the metaphorical rock on which step the professionals at Studio L Design (phone: 0893 902 151, www.studio-l-design.com) when they begin their work on all of their projects. The result is impressive. Regardless of whether they are designing the interior of a maisonette, a family house, an office, a restaurant or a hotel, the team of Studio L Design applies individual approach, based on the preferences and the personality of the client, and the function of the space, before continuing with activities like selection of the style, the colour scheme and the materials, the furniture and the decorations. Since its creation in 2006, Studio L Design has proven its ability to find the thin line between modern trends and classical elegance, without sacrificing comfort for the sake of style. For the full comfort of its clients, Studio L Design offers the full range of services: from consultancy and site measuring to conceptual design and 3D visualisation, control during construction and repair works, management, and creation of objects of art for the particular interior.

Gloss, light, colours and fine details that make the interior unique and memorable: the products of AGC Glass (Sofia, 3 Sveta Ekaterina St, phone: +359 899 886 332, www.yourglass.com), a world manufacturer of decorative interior glass, give you all of this. The revamped series Lacobel and Matelac offer all the possible solutions for achieving a practical and aesthetic interior, which fits all the latest trends: from the classic black and white, to the trending natural colours in shades of green and red, to the exclusivity of the metalised surfaces in shades of silver and copper. AGC Glass has implemented the newest technologies in order to make you confident that you have made the best choice. The new tool Aero Glass Visualiser (www.yourglass.com/decoglassvisualiser) allows you to virtually see the effect of the type of glass you have selected on the interior, and the MyColour* by Lacobel and Matelac service is unsurpassed in its ability to create the colour that you want to have.

Objects of art, color accents and ornaments have crucial role when you aim at creating a memorable interior with distinct individuality. COLOR LOGIC Art & Decoration Studio (www.colorlogic.eu; www.sofroniev.colorlogic.eu) helps you to achieve perfection with finding the best combination of colors, accessories and style for your home, hotel, restaurant, bar. The company is created by the artist and interior designer Svetlin Sofroniev, who combines his taste for classical art with the talent to create colors, textures and themes in a variety of combinations. In COLOR LOGIC you will find complete interior solutions, mosaics of stone, glass-ceramics and smalt, decorative architectural elements, painted furniture and restorations, color decorative solutions for walls and ceilings. For achieving the optimal aesthetic effect, add one or several paintings, murals or stained glass windows from the rich collection of COLOR LOGIC.

When you are still undecided on the style and textures for the interior of your hotel, restaurant, café, home or office, the complete interior solutions by Valiyan (www.valiyan.com) are everything that you need. The company's suggestions stand out with delicate minimalism and classic luxury, and make you feel the comfort of the discrete style and to immerse in the bliss of a beautiful life. The collaboration of Valiyan with leading architects and designers gives you the confidence that the company's interior solutions are individual and created especially for you. Feel the warm and professionalism of Valiyan at the company showroom in Sofia (2A Joliot-Curie St), where you can choose your style of furniture, fabrics and leathers, and illumination, and get a competent advice on your interior.

The flooring. We often tend to forget and even stop noticing it, but the truth is that nothing can compare to quality flooring in the aim to achieve your dreams' interior. Each element is important for ending up with sheer perfection: material, texture, colour, design. The professionals at Artistico (Sofia, 1 Prof. Milko Bichev Str, www.artistico.bg) go one step further. The Artistico wood floorings have 100-year warranty and stand out with quality and durability, but these are just few of their qualities. The company offers wooden floorings in a variety of classical, traditional and design styles. The option for a wood floor after individual project guarantees that at your home, hotel or restaurant you will have not just floor, but a piece of art. Artistico is also the right place to find assistance if your old, but still nice wood floor needs restoration. The company also offers kitchens in modern, classical and vintage style, as well as additional elements of the interior like stairs, wood wall coverings, interior doors and window frames – everything can be customized.

Blinds are inseparable part of the complete concept for comfort in the home and the office, that is why we need to be practical in our choice. The market is full with a wide range of products with different use, materials, functionality, characteristics. But you have to suppress the impulse by narrowing your choices only with the selection of the colour or the lowest possible price. Consult with a specialist who knows the suggestions on the market and will advice you on the optimal solution for you. The offers of the Bulgarian manufacturer Kamax (phone: 0700 10 121, www.kamax.bg) are an excellent solution when you don't want to make any compromises. The company produces internal and external blinds in a variety of options, colours and materials, including Day & Night roller blinds, pleat and duette blinds, Roman and bamboo blinds, motorised curtain rods. It is up to you to choose what you need: blinds that provide protection from sunlight or from the gazes of outsiders, protection from external heat or thermal insulation, and the decorative effect that you aim to achieve.

Stylish design, materials of incredible quality and modern technologies: this is what get the clients who have chosen Arexim Garden Ltd. (www.areximgarden.bg) blinds and furniture. For 25 years now the Bulgarian company has been providing effective protection for homes and offices from direct sunlight and UV light, noise and pollution. From durable "green" materials like wood, textile or with a customised photo print, the blinds of Arexim Garden all bring individuality to the living spaces, and the modern motorized mechanisms provide you with latest generation of comfort. For optimal aesthetic effect and harmonious interior and exterior look, trust the company's specialists for a conceptual design to complete furnishing of your office or home. Those blessed with having their own garden are twice as lucky because of the rich variety of garden furniture and accessories from top international manufacturers, specifically selected by Arexim Garden. Regardless of whether you furnish your home or hotel, restaurant or bar, the company has thought over everything. You only need to enjoy the complete comfort and the flawless design.

The play of the flames in the fireplace creates a feel of cosiness and warmth that cannot be achieved in other ways, and thanks to modern technologies you can now enjoy it free of bothering with boring things like cleaning chimneys, smell of soot, and difficult maintenance. You can opt for a bio fireplace. Bio fireplaces are easy to install, can be fixed in both interiors and exteriors, don't need special maintenance, or even a chimney or a vent, and can warm a room in only about 10-15 minutes. Bio fireplaces are also a solution to all who care for the protection of the environment. The denatured bioethanol they use warms the rooms more cheaply and effectively than the traditional air conditioners. Easy to use and at an affordable price, this is an alternative energy source that is becoming increasingly popular. During its burning no harmful gasses and smoke are produced, only water and carbon dioxide in quantities comparable to these produced by two middle-size candles. Bioethanol is made of cellulosic biomass (wheat, millet, corn, cane) and is a renewable energy source.

How to choose the best bio fireplaces for the needs of your home and family? Ask for advice and an offer from FRIA Bio Fireplaces (Sofia, Mladost 4, block 601, www.biokamini.eu). Since 2008, the company has been among the leaders on the local market and offers the bio fireplaces of the leading world producers Ebios-fire, GlammFire and Planika, as well the fire effect technology MagicW-fire. The suggestions of FRIA Bio Fireplaces have stylish and diverse design suitable for every taste, an option for individual sizes, and technologies for remote control of the fire. Whatever you choose, the FRIA's bio fireplaces will make your home an oasis of warmth and cosiness, with an impeccable combination of aesthetics and functionality.

How many possessions and how much space do we need to live comfortably and happily? The answers to the question equal the number of living people, and designer's solutions range from the minimalist to the opulent Baroque interiors. One is certain: if you are one of the people for whom vacation close to nature is more important than lavish amenities, then you will fall in love with Home'n'Roll. The mobile home by NIDO is neither a caravan, nor a camper, but an ordinary home, built from cosiness-inspiring wood panels, which thanks to its two axes can be moved around. On a living space of less than 39sq.m, Home'n'Roll has space for everything that you need for a long vacation outside of the city: a kitchenette with a living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom. The mobile house provides you with all the essentials needed for a holiday from the everyday life with all of its stifling requirements and conventions, but without sacrificing the comfort. It is the ideal space to discover what makes you truly happy and satisfied with your life. NIDO also has a good solution for workaholics and people dedicated to find the golden mean between career and living close to nature: the Home'n'Roll mobile office. Learn more on the NIDO's innovative projects on phone 02/421 9645 or visit the showroom at Sofia, 1 Andrey Lyapchev Blvd.