I had a great time exploring the Sofia design scene and found some beautiful design shops and small galleries worth visiting.
Design lovers should put Sofia on their bucket list 🙂
The post below is a guide to some of the best design shops and small independent galleries in the Bulgarian capital.
Get an offline map of the places mentioned in this Sofia design guide here
A quick guide to sofia design shops: what streets to visit
If you visit Sofia for a short period of time, these are the streets where you’ll find many of the shops and galleries in the central area of the city.
- Angel Kanchev street – For vintage shops and some other design shops.
- Tsar Samuil street – For small commercial art galleries.
- Tsar Ivan Shishman – For a lot of great stores for design lovers; some are included in the list below.
- Saborna Street – For high-end luxury brands and boutiques.
The word for “street” in Bulgarian is “ulitsa”. Street signs are in Cyrillic letters, but almost always have the name of the street in Latin script as well.
My list of great design shops in sofia
N8 by sklada – sofia contemporary design
A sweet little shop with 3 rooms full of home decor items, gadgets, small gifts, textiles and toys.
Expect to find original, contemporary design and many unique gift ideas.
Magazinche – local handmade crafts
This shop has two locations that are quite close to each other, about 15m walk from centre
Magazinche offers small crafts, notebooks,mugs, purses, jewellery and much more.
The focus is on local handcrafted items by Bulgarian designers, artists and authors.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Lale gallery – colourful arts & crafts
There’s so much to see in this sweet shop in the centre of Sofia. It’s full of cute illustrations, jewellery, ceramics, souvenirs, Bulgarian crafts, postcards and more, arranged in a lovely colourful display.
Gifted – local souvenirs & gallery
This shop features the best of Bulgarian design in what might look like a souvenir shop at first, but is much more than that.
The colourful, curated selection of items by local designers and artists includes books, postcards, magnets, tote bags and more, all in a contemporary, urban style.
Downstairs there’s a gallery featuring temporary exhibitions.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Zona urbana – recycled design shop in sofia
This unusual shop sells products made from recycled newspapers, maps and vinyl records.
Expect to find just about any kind of bag, from a slim wallet to a backpack. The variety is stunning and the shop is very colourful.
At the back of the shop there’s a workshop where the items are made.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Handmade by art.e – artisan mugs
A lot of creativity was put into the design of the collection in this store, which is run by the artists themselves.
This is the place to find porcelain mugs, plates and bowls with original illustrations and decorations.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Detailor – elegant, modern design
Centrally located, this elegant design shop has a large range of items, from fancy home decor to plush toys.
The beautiful selection is made by both Bulgarian and international designers and artists.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Elephant bookstore – english books and cool gifts
This is a good place to find books in English but also a lot of cool items for design lovers.
The space is crammed with books, vintage posters, mugs, postcards and small gifts. Some gifts are book related, others are just cool.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Sfera home – home decor shop in sofia
A brightly lit shop specialising in furniture and home decor. There’s a large range of items in a mix of styles, from classic to modern.
Punto art bazaar – steampunk art in bulgaria
This unique gallery and shop spans two floors and features jewellery, paintings, ceramics, books and postcards.
The style and techniques used are those of the Steampunk Movement, inspired by Victorian era industrial machines.
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2 Comments
love this post! you can also put it in my fb group
Who knew Sofia has such a bustling design shop scene! I feel like visiting the Zona Urbana – Recycled design shop now 🙂