METAL COMES TO LIFE IN OUR HANDS!

From prehistory to modernity, humanity has explored the nature of metals and has tamed them, putting them at the centre of entire industries and creating astonishing pieces of craft and art of them. Nedyalka and Dimitar Mitkovi have dedicated their lives and creative spirits to making exquisite pieces of wrought iron. Their company, MN Design, manufactures interior and exterior items that meet all modern criteria of quality, durability and safety but look like objects of art – sometimes tender, sometimes bold, but always unique and with their own soul.

What inspired you to turn wrought iron products and objects into your vocation and business?

MN Design was born about 12 years ago, when we were young, bold dreamers, freshly graduated from the National Academy of Art in Sofia. It was then that we decided that art and design will always be part of our lives.

Our inspiration has many sources: each other and our clients, natural shapes that we reinterpret in a way that brings life to the space or the building, and the inherent power of metal, its plasticity and capability to appear gentle and light although it is actually cold and heavy.

We do not just create metal products. We breathe life to each item and we amalgamate in it something from the client's character, and from ourselves, too. This is why the process feels personal to us.

When we were establishing MN Design, we were adamant that we were going to create and manufacture items without any compromises or limitations. From day one, we have loved so much our work, the preparation for a new project, and meeting so many and diverse people that eventually this stopped being a job and became our life.

What should we know about the soul of metal? How do you manage to "read" it?

For us, metal is a way to express ourselves. It is a material that allows you to give it so many different shapes – gentle, round, edgy. The soul of metal is what we tell it to be. This is the magic of our art that gives life and different character to each metal piece. The process, as we said, is very personal and intertwined with the client's individuality. Metal's paradox is outstanding: this crude and cold material can be shaped in unique forms full of tenderness and light, evoking so many emotions. The soul of metal awaits to be incarnated by its creator.

The tables are included in interiors designed by StudioLinia

How MN Design creations stand out from the rest on the market?

Metal comes to life in our hands. This is how we stand out.

We built a team of professionals who, together with us, understood this.

The people in our team have the patience and qualities required to make perfect products. Products that provoke you to wonder how they were made. Products that evoke emotions and awe.

Attention to the detail is the key to the perfect product. The items that we create are entirely the result of our artistic ideas.

When we started MN Design, we believed that we could break the stereotypes about the nature of interior railing. We knew that we would turn a new page in design and manufacture of interior and exterior metal products. We were aware that the art in our souls and hearts would evoke certain emotions in people who see our creations. And so, over ten years later, we still create our items with lots of love, precision to the tiniest detail, and thought for the future generations.

What is the most interesting or challenging project you have worked on?

We often get enquiries that are unique and challenging. We love such moments. The sense of being outside of our comfort zone and being provoked makes us feel alive.

About two years ago, the London-based Bulgarian designer Yovo Bozhinovski contacted us to make the furniture for an office in Moscow. For us, this project was both a pleasure and an immense challenge. When working on it, our team discovered we had unsuspected skills. Today, we continue our partnership with Bozhinovski Design Studio.

What is the process of communication with the client and the production of the chosen design?

We start with familiarising ourselves with the site and the client. We survey the architecture to decide on the most suitable style for the place and, most importantly, how to design the mountings so that they appear as one whole with the product. The choice of design and development direction is one of the most important stages of the process. After the design is ready, we prepare technical drawings and specifications. Then the project goes to the manufacturing studio. Last but not least, is choosing the item's colour. This is crucial, because a beautifully sculpted object deserves equally beautiful coating. When this is finished, the only thing that remains is to see our clients' happy smiles and satisfied gaze.

What are the most exciting of your current projects?

In 2024, MN Design turned a new page in its story. Provoked by the idea to create something new and different, we started designing furniture for different interiors – both minimalistic and more classical. Some of the furniture is inspired by combinatorics as a way to build a shape, but reflected through our creative prism.

The readers of VAGABOND are the first who will learn about another of our latest ideas – a product for people who love their cars and want something different and unique for them. Together with the amazing sculptor Nayden Slavchev we have designed and built a bumper that brings a more unique, provocative and bold shape to cars. At the next stage of the project's development, we will finish the car that is going to have such a bumper.

By combining endless patience with love for manual work, MN Design pays tribute to the tradition of artisanal manufacture. We create metal sculptures of impeccable quality and crafted details that answer to the client's wishes and are made to last for generations.

Our ouevre embody passion and loyalty to Art. We, at MN Design, believe that spaces and people deserve metal products that evoke emotion and add individuality.

The factory of MN Design is located close to ancient Plovdiv. The old yet modern and vibrant atmosphere of this city inspires us and provokes our desire to demonstrate our talent, to create freely. The experience and skills of our team offer limitless possibilities to do this.