Ljubljana to do
Ljubljana is a small, beautiful, and walkable city where everything unfolds at a human pace. This is my short list of what’s a must if you’re here for a day or two — from the riverside stroll along the Ljubljanica, to the layered architecture shaped by Jože Plečnik, to the mix of cafés, galleries, and hidden courtyards that reward slow exploration. It’s not about rushing between landmarks, but about taking time to notice the details that make the city quietly unique.
Where I go for a coffee:
Črno zrno
Tiny, almost hidden. Coffee as ritual, not product. Minimal space, maximum focus — you go here to reset your senses.
Cafetino
More classic and layered. A place to sit longer, observe people, and feel the city’s rhythm.
Čokl
Just watch a man who loves his coffee.
What you don’t want to miss:
Tiporenesansa
A working letterpress studio. Pure tactile design — ink, paper, craft. A reminder of where typography comes from.
Cukrarna
Contemporary art in a raw industrial shell. Big, quiet, and spatially powerful — more about atmosphere than objects.
Ljubljana Castle
Not just a landmark — a viewpoint to understand the city’s scale and structure.
Gornji trg
One of the most beautiful streets. Slow, historic, almost cinematic — details everywhere. And my studio is there.
Center Rog
New creative hub. Makers, labs, exhibitions — where contemporary Ljubljana experiments.
Where we go for a beer:
Tozd
Hybrid café/bar. Relaxed, slightly rough around the edges — creative crowd, no pressure.
Beli Volk
Natural wine, intimate vibe. Feels like a secret you share with a few people.
Lajbah
Craft beer spot with a local pulse. Social, unpretentious, always alive.
Daktari
A bit eclectic, a bit nostalgic. Music, atmosphere, and a slightly chaotic charm.
Some really good food:
Veganika
Playful vegan comfort food. Bright, casual, and surprisingly indulgent.
Maha
Calm, mindful, almost spiritual approach to food. Slow eating, clean ingredients.
Breg
Right by the river. A balance of location and solid cuisine — easy, reliable.
Moji Štruklji Slovenije
Traditional Slovenian dish done right. Simple, authentic, rooted.
Gostilnica 5–6 kg
More contemporary, slightly elevated. Good example of modern local dining.
A little bit of shopping:
Oliviers & Co
For ingredients — olive oils, flavors, sensory details. Design through taste.
Gud Shop
Curated Slovenian design objects. A small window into the local creative scene.
Probably I forgot something and will add it later. Feel free to remind me 🙂
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There Is Only One Right Way to Publicly Commission Design
Public design commissioning is not a matter of preference — there is a right way and everything else. We've worked through enough flawed briefs, misaligned procurement structures, and well-meaning but broken processes to know exactly where the public commissioning of design goes wrong, and what it looks like when it doesn't.
Process
Design process methodology, as we practice it, is not a straight line from brief to delivery. It loops — deliberately, productively, sometimes uncomfortably. That looping is where the real work happens, and understanding our design process methodology is the clearest way to know whether we're the right studio for what you're building.
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Freelance designer struggles don't announce themselves. One month you're euphoric about escaping the agency; six months later you're chasing an invoice at midnight and questioning every career decision you've ever made. We've seen this arc enough times — from our studio in Ljubljana, across two decades of watching good designers disappear into bad freelance situations — to say something honest about it.
Ethics
Design ethics and sustainability aren't a policy we wrote to hang on a wall — they're the criteria we use before we say yes to a project. We've been running this studio since 2004, and the framework hasn't changed: if the work can't be defended on ethical grounds, it doesn't leave the desk. Design ethics and sustainability, in practice, means turning things down as often as taking them on.
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Clarity in design is what every brief promises and almost nothing delivers. We've been watching this gap widen for two decades — between what communication claims to say and what it actually lands. Searching for clarity isn't a trend. It's a signal that something structural has gone wrong.