Estorio opened nine months ago, when you look back on the days after the opening what feelings, colors and images come to your mind?
I remember the first few days, you could almost smell the fresh paint on the walls, the night before the opening we were cleaning, arranging the decorations, small accessories, finishing the last details and finally we ended up with the space we had dreamed of in the visual plan. It’s been a long journey, but the real adventure had only just begun. At the opening, everything felt like a dream, so many familiar and unfamiliar faces, the voices, the questions, these have now all come together to form a single image and a fully functioning system.
Estorio is not only a showroom, but also a meeting place. Tell us about an important meeting that you‘ve had in 2022.
Estorio has never been a traditional showroom. Rather, it was a functional apartment where we always envisioned meeting people, not just having objects. A place that gives room to discuss and exchange ideas, meet people, make friends and develop professionally. We are constantly striving to bring people together, to expand beyond commercial activity and create space for friendships to be made, horizons to be broadened and value to be shared.
The isolation of recent years and the rise of the online world have made it particularly important for us to meet in person. Even if it is difficult to find the time, even if we are busy and it would be easier to do it online. We need that inner recharge that makes our world more human, that makes us aware of each other. The best meetings are the ones that are followed by a coffee or a friendly chat; our partners are always happy to drop by when they are in the neighborhood.
Christmas and the end of the year is also a time for reflection and reckoning. How do you see which of your initial ideas have come to life, and is there anything that has turned out even better than you had imagined?
The initial concept, I believe, has been fulfilled. We haven’t changed direction, we are sticking to the goal we set, and we continue to work every day to build a community. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome many people as regulars and team members at Estorio and to have more and more satisfied customers. Ethical business practice is fundamental to us, so I am particularly proud that our partners see that we treat everyone as equals, they trust us and are not afraid to let us in on their confidential projects and share their plans with us. This trust feels very good and I am very grateful for it.
If you could ask for one thing that would be definitely guaranteed in 2023 for Estorio, what would it be?
More events, more smiling faces, more laughter and more of the personal, human connections that we desperately need, while celebrating with crystal glasses.
