Sofia Design Week by Brit Leissler

A scene from Sofia Design Week by El Turco Digital [photo by Brit Leissler for Core77]

I hate to sound like an ignorant American, but I'm 99% sure that I couldn't pick out Bulgaria on a map. And I can't be the only one, right? Yet, unbeknownst to me, this Balkan republic is home to a whole boat load of design talent.

Brit Leissler of Core77 descended on the Bulgarian capital of Sofia last month and came away with an incredible set of photos from Sofia Design Week. With Communism's utilitarian aesthetic reigning supreme until just over two decades ago, it's amazing to see how creative design is flourishing in Bulgaria.

But enough with the politics. On to the pictures!

A wedding dress and pair of wedding rings made from flea market finds by El Turco Digital

 CNC Puzzle Light by Petar Zaharinov for Praktrik

 A floor lamp made from cut-up pieces of a broken chair by Nikola Nikolov for Studio Re-Creation

 

Flex Chair by Georgim Manassiev

Join Cuttlery by Ding 3000
 

Parcel Clock by Denitsa Boyadzhieva

Well-known Spanish chefs and designers teamed up for this exhibit, 

Foodject: Design and the new Spanish Cuisine.

Jewelry resembling birds on a wire by Lumagi

 This is just so horrendous I had to share. It's a fox tail pony tail. Ladies, this is where we'll end up if we don't put a stop to this god-forsaken raccoon tail trend once and for all!

[all photography by Brit Leissler for Core77]