Ekaterina Trifonova

Design - Spatial Design

Rekindling the sense of home

This project explores how traditional Eastern European living principles can be reinterpreted within contemporary interior design. Inspired by Bulgarian Revival architecture and embroidery, the project responds to the emotional detachment often found in modern minimalist spaces by reintroducing warmth, craftsmanship, and material memory.
The wooden doors are based on the “Tree of life” motif from Bulgarian embroidery. Their composition reflects the structure of a tree — grounded and dense at the bottom like roots, gradually opening upward into a lighter and more expressive crown. Sliding them in front of each other allows for fully completing the pattern and closing the design. The coloured translucent glass allows sunlight to pass through the cut patterns, creating changing atmospheres throughout the day, just like a family’s history does throughout life.
Why sliding doors?
The sliding doors act both as functional spatial dividers and as symbolic threshold between known and forgotten memories. Their movement allows the space to transform — opening for gathering, connection, and shared experience, or closing for intimacy and reflection. This idea draws inspiration from the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht, where sliding walls and doors create flexible living conditions throughout the day. In this project, the embroidered doors reinterpret this principle through Bulgarian cultural symbolism, allowing memory, light, and craftsmanship to become active parts of the interior experience.
Through natural materials, tactile surfaces, and filtered light, the project explores sustainability not only as environmental responsibility, but also as emotional longevity — restoring a sense of belonging, identity, and connection to home.

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