Kostadin Dimitrov became a luthier by chance. He was working as a professional lathe operator in 1997 when a friend approached him about making the hardware for three different guitars. Kostadin agreed, but his friend abandoned the job abruptly to go to Portugal and Kostadin was left to finish it himself. When he started woodworking he fell in love with the craft. He experienced an international breakthrough when a German music producer noticed one of his basses and invited Kostadin to form a partnership, which helped him gain an appreciation of the high standards of the larger competitive markets. Nowadays, his modesty keeps him level-headed and open to new methods and ideas.

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The design of this guitar was inspired by the story of a princess, a musician and a guitar. The princess longed for a musical instrument, but it was not until her parents had a guitarist play at her birthday that she knew what instrument it should be. The princess and the guitarist fell in love but the family forbade the union. They could not separate them so the parents asked a wizard to burn the guitarist's soul. The wizard cast a spell to burn the musician's soul but his love for the princess was so strong that instead of burning, his soul moved into the guitar, so he could stay forever with his sweetheart.

Silvia Black Magic

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This KD REV II 5-string multiscale bass was custom-made for Krasimir Yanakiev, a bass player with the Bulgarian band HANGAR 42. Krasimir contacted Kostadin Dimitrov to enquire about a 5-string bass that would be capable of handling a greater variety of music styles and would also be able to be drop tuned with ease. They discussed different model options, constructions and specifications and ended up choosing the Rev II model, which had already proven its quality.

REV II Multiscale

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One day Kostadin Dimitrov came across a maple log, which he bought and immediately cut into. Upon opening it up, he saw how uniquely beautiful it was, with many different textures and qualities. In that moment he knew what kind of instrument he would craft from this precious material. A few years later, when the material was dry enough, he created this boutique guitar bass called Earthquake.

Earthquake

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Kostadin Dimitrov would not exactly define the Dymana (Димана) as a semi-acoustic guitar, but rather as a hollow body, because he followed a more archtop guitar construction when making it. There is no centre wood block, and for the first time ever, he used a resonator centre arm, which he developed himself. The idea behind this new construction was to build a guitar able to obtain the strongest acoustic sound.

Dymana

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To this day, the Picasso remains the most difficult and complicated bass that Kostadin Dimitrov has ever built. Every single part of this colourful puzzle represents an individual piece of stabilised maple burl, which he formed by hand and, with great precision, added to the puzzle. When using new materials, it is necessary to put them through numerous tests to determine their effectiveness. The Picasso's most outstanding feature is its use of stabilised wood.

Picasso

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Few get access to the interiors of old chateaus bearing the marks of history and generations of noblesse. And even fewer get to create them. Boris Delchev is among a niche handful of artisans, whose work is dedicated to the restoration of valuable heritage by reimagining and regenerating its old spirit with accuracy and craftsmanship. He is also famous for making new interiors feel like antiquated ones. His clients range from the French government to design stars like Christian Louboutin and Philippe Starck. Boris entered the world of restoration, faux finishes and wall paintings by chance and fell in love with its rich possibilities. He has become one of its best professionals, travelling the world to execute exquisite commissions for aristocrats and contemporary taste makers alike. Boris works with a busy team of artists who usually prepare the materials for each project in Sofia before on site work begins.

Deltchev, Boris

The poetry of a place

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Albena Djokova's first encounter with applied arts came at an early age when she started collecting small ceramic figurines - a passion which lasted throughout her childhood. Later on she turned from a connoisseur to an artisan herself. A decisive moment in her art education at the National Art Academy in Sofia was her exchange semester spent in Faenza, Italy. There Albena had the opportunity to explore the inherent ceramics tradition of the place. It was here that she decided to become a professional ceramicist and start her own atelier in Sofia after finishing her studies. Ever since she has worked hard on establishing her own studio and a dedicated local clientele.

Djokova, Albena

The cup maker

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A family holiday trip to Japan marked the beginning of Sintio Studio. At that time Peter Bubev and his wife were working as architects, but they were so impressed by the Japanese origami purses and boxes they saw during their travels that it made them dream of new professional horizons. It took Peter two years to create his first origami wallet. Family and friends were charmed by the leather item, and so the new brand was born. Crafts have always played an important role in Peter’s family. He grew up under the influence of his self-taught woodcarver grandfather and the artistic background of his father. It was only natural that he would go to the famous art school in Kazanlak, initially focusing on fine arts, but later turning to architecture as a profession.

Bubev, Peter

Leather origami

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For Atanas Konstantinov, it was always clear that he would end up working in the applied arts. His first attempts were at the early age of ten when he gained experience in woodcarving. He then followed a logical path: high school training in the field of applied arts, majoring in metalwork, followed by an academy diploma in the same subject. A decisive moment in his jewellery making career and his approach to art and jewellery came when he encountered renowned Bulgarian designer Dimiter Delchev, head of the metalwork department at Sofia Art Academy. Now, Atanas works mainly with noble metals, but describes silver as the most precious material, because it allows him to easily convey his ideas.

Konstantinov, Atanas

Architectural forms in jewellery

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Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

Our Partners

Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

Enrich your experience beyond Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

Join the Homo Faber Guide!

Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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