KARE worldwide presents: Sofia

11. January 2017

Sofia – Our hearts beat for you!

This city of contrasts fascinated us very quickly. Besides the typical eastern charm, caused of the past communism, Sofia is a green and a vibrant as well as pulsating city. Crumbling facades, magnificent buildings and modernism make a charged relationship, which you cannot escape from. This is why many creative heads and people from all over the world, who are interested in art and culture, travel to the capital of Bulgaria. You can find street art and many curiosities at every corner. Looking around with open eyes, you can explore so many things: Basement kiosks, traffic lights controlled by hand, Street Art (from graffiti and paste ups to installations) and the Vitosha mountains, which startdirectly behind the border of the city and invite you to go hiking, skiing, and snowboarding.

But let’s take one thing at a time.We meet up with Dimitar, the store manager of KARE Sofia, at the academic national theatre Iwan Wasow. The fact that he is too late, doesn’t upset us. Meanwhile we are fascinated by the dancers of any age, who gather together in front of the theatre and dance creatively to the music. You should have enough time on your hands to relax and allow your creativity full bent. The welcoming is, just as we expected it to be, very warm. And thankfully we have the right shoes, because we don’t walk directly to the KARE shop. If anything, to the contrary: We are going to start a very special city trip. Let’s go to the Tsar Ivan Shishmann Street. This street is the center for an all alternative culture with their beautiful facades of the partly ancient buildings, many bars, cafes, restaurants, galleries, book stores, antiques and furniture boutiques. And all goes at a fair Price.

Our first stop is the Raketa Rakia Bar near the lovely Zaimov parks. We are impressed by this hotspot and the confidently stylish taste of Dimitar in every sense: The food, the atmosphere, the ambient (inspirited from socialism and classic retro design) – everything is a match. Fortunately we are happy to try out new-to-us cuisine and don’t reject the typical hangover food – Shkembe Chorba. How I was taught by my Hungarian grandmother, you have to bring a big appetite with you when you travel to all eastern European countries. A couple of hours will fly by with a lot of courses of traditional food like Shkembe Chorba, Banista (kind of borek), and Bulgarian yogurt (“Kiselo mlyako is the best and healthiest yogurt all over the world”, says Dimitar) and a lot of Rakia – this restaurantis famous for this kind of drink, next to their delicious food. Incidentally, Rakia has a percentage of alcohol from 40 to 80! We drink very good Bulgarian water with gas as well. So we have enough time to learn something about Dimitar and the Bulgarian culture.

“We are very close up to the nature, love the proximity to the mountains and take a lot of care of the quality of the food or the facility. You noticed that, for example, by tasting our yogurt or oursparkling water, we are proud of our produce and this is why we try to preserve and take care of our precious resources. Our home should exude warmness and comfort, too. The Bulgarians love untouched wood, earthy and pastel colors. Especially the vintage look is much loved here. We love the combination of the contrasts, the style mix and the maverick things. Don’t be adjusted and act and think compliant to rules. We are likely to have this attitude because of our past. Why shouldn’t we place the table football in the living room? Your home should reflect your character – underline your personality with furniture you really love. And last but not least, I want to remind you: Be inspired, always and everywhere – stay open for new things, “Think out of the Box!”

Dimitars must-sees for Sofia:
•Shishman Str. is placed in the heart of the capital. you can feel the spirit of Sofia and to see the great architecture of the city.
•The Ivan Vazov National theatre is Bulgaria’s national theatre, the oldest and most authoritative theatre in the country and one of the important landmarks of Sofia.
•Raketa Rakia Bar – Address: 17 Yanko Sakuzov Blvd the restaurant offers different rakia (traditional alcohol drink) Delicious food. The interior design is specific, inspired by socialism and all retro items from that time.
•BESO bar and dinner – Adress: 45 Todor Kableshkov Str. with a nice garden and first-class menu, sushi and grill.
•Sense Rooftop bar (ROOFTOP BAR & GASTRO BAR) – Adress: 16 Tsar Osvoboditel Bvld The roof top bar on the 9th floor gives you an excellent view over Sofia http://www.sensehotel.com/en/roof-top-bar.html /
• Planet Bar Deluxe – Adress: 1 Bulgaria Bvld Great night and day club furnished by KARE, here was filmed one of the most popular action series in Bulgaria – Undercover. http://www.planetclub-bg.com/

Go visit our shop in Sofia!
257 Okolovrusten put Str., Sofia, Bulgaria | info@kare-sofia.bg | +359 2 46 07 123

The KARE brand symbolizes furnishing ideas which are unique, non-conformist and authentic. Ever since 1981 the company has been surprising its fans worldwide with an incomparable and inexhaustible variety of new furniture, lighting and furnishing accessories, all expressing an intense passion for design.