Students and lecturers gathered at Academia Gallery for the IKEA Bulgaria lecture within the project "Reforms: Creative Design Laboratory", realised jointly with the National Academy of Art
2026.03.13
On 12 March, the lecture “IKEA Design”, delivered at Academia Gallery within the joint project “Reforms: Creative Design Laboratory” of the National Academy of Art and IKEA Bulgaria, challenges young artists to rethink the functionality of everyday objects.
Experts from the IKEA Bulgaria team shared their practical experience to the future designers. Maya Velyanova, Head of Design and Communications, Marketing Manager Yoana Tsoneva, and the marketing experts Kristina Prodanova and Yuliana Tsvetkova, presented the philosophy of the Swedish brand. Special attention was paid to the meaning of design collaborations – both on a global level through IKEA of Sweden, and through the specific collections realised in collaboration with the Bulgaria team. This view “from the inside” showed the students how valuable shared experience is and how the intersection between different creative visions leads to successful and sustainable products.
Experts from the IKEA Bulgaria team shared their practical experience to the future designers. Maya Velyanova, Head of Design and Communications, Marketing Manager Yoana Tsoneva, and the marketing experts Kristina Prodanova and Yuliana Tsvetkova, presented the philosophy of the Swedish brand. Special attention was paid to the meaning of design collaborations – both on a global level through IKEA of Sweden, and through the specific collections realised in collaboration with the Bulgaria team. This view “from the inside” showed the students how valuable shared experience is and how the intersection between different creative visions leads to successful and sustainable products.
During the presentation, the team guided the attendees through the history and the need for a new Swedish identity, based on the LAGOM concept – the cultural value of the perfect balance, where things are “not too much, not too little, just the right amoun”. Using the IKEA circular design manual, specific working strategies in modern production were discussed, including the principle of designing for easy disassembly and assembly of products. Curious facts from the history of IKEA and the Bulgarian footprint in the company were also presented.
The event was attended by the project leaders from the National Academy of Art–Assoc. Prof. Elizar Milev, PhD, and Asst. Prof. Diana Vassileva–and the heads of the Departments of Industrial Design and of Ceramics and Porcelain and Glass Design”–Assoc. Prof. Zahari Ganchev, PhD, and Assoc. Prof. Krassen Troanski, PhD. Among the representatives of the Academy were Svilena Chelebiyska-Mateeva, Director for Education, Projects and International Cooperation, and Didi Spassova, Head of the Public Relations Department.
Within the framework of the joint project, the students will use and explore the methods of redesign and the ready-made concept integrated into the educational programme at the National Academy of Art, in an attempt to give a new identity to well-known mass products.
Gallery
