Victoria Firsanova
Architect & Interior Designer
The Beginning
I grew up in Varna, a coastal city on Bulgaria's Black Sea, where the architecture tells stories of different eras—Byzantine churches standing beside modernist apartment blocks, Ottoman-era houses next to contemporary developments. This layered landscape shaped my understanding that good design transcends time and style.
My father was a structural engineer, my mother a watercolor artist. Weekend mornings, I'd watch him sketch load-bearing calculations while she painted the changing light on our terrace. I learned early that the best spaces emerge from the marriage of technical precision and aesthetic intuition.
At fifteen, I started drawing floor plans of our neighbors' apartments, reimagining how walls could be moved, how light could travel differently through rooms. My first "client" was my grandmother—I redesigned her living room on graph paper, carefully noting where afternoon sun would fall, how furniture could create conversation areas. She kept that drawing framed in her kitchen until she passed.
That small project taught me something fundamental: design isn't about imposing a vision—it's about listening to how people actually live and crafting spaces that support that life, not fight it.
Education & Journey
University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy
Studied architecture in Sofia, Bulgaria. My thesis explored adaptive reuse of industrial buildings—how abandoned factories could become mixed-use spaces that honor their history while serving contemporary needs. This interest in breathing new life into existing structures continues to inform my work.
Milan Design Week Internship
Spent six months with Studio Architettura Matteoni during Salone del Mobile. Learned that the most memorable installations weren't the loudest—they were the ones that made you pause and reconsider your relationship with space and material. This experience cemented my commitment to restraint and intentionality in design.
Junior Designer, Urban Studio Sofia
Worked on residential and commercial projects across Bulgaria. Learned the realities of construction, budgets, and the gap between design ideals and practical execution. Some of my best education came from standing on job sites at 7 AM, problem-solving with contractors.
Lead Designer, Residential Focus
Began leading my own projects—primarily high-end residential work. Developed a reputation for creating calm, functional spaces that felt personal rather than showroom-perfect. Clients started coming to me specifically because they didn't want their homes to look "designed."
Independent Practice
Established my own practice focusing on residential architecture and interior design. Working independently allows me to be selective about projects and maintain the design integrity that matters most to me. Each project is a collaboration with clients who value thoughtful, lasting design over trends.
Founded Plainory
Launched Plainory as a platform to demystify design and share what I've learned. The blog has become a space where I can explore ideas more freely than project constraints allow, and connect with people who are curious about creating better spaces for themselves.
Why Plainory
After years of professional practice, I noticed a pattern: many people felt intimidated by design. They'd apologize for not knowing the "right" terms, or defer entirely to professionals without trusting their own instincts about how they wanted to live.
The design industry has a tendency to mystify itself—to wrap simple concepts in jargon, to suggest that good design requires expensive consultants and rare materials. But the fundamentals of creating comfortable, functional, beautiful spaces aren't mysterious. They're observable, learnable, and accessible.
I started Plainory because I wanted to create a resource I wish had existed when I was starting out—a place that explains the "why" behind design decisions, that respects readers' intelligence, and that acknowledges that thoughtful design is for everyone, not just those with unlimited budgets.
The name itself reflects the mission: "Plain" speaks to clarity and accessibility, "Story" to the narrative that unfolds in every space we inhabit. Plainory is about making design plain—not in the sense of boring, but in the sense of clear, honest, and unpretentious.
Through Plainory, I share not just finished projects but the thinking behind them, the mistakes made along the way, and the principles that transcend specific aesthetics. My hope is that readers come away not just with inspiration, but with the confidence to make their own thoughtful design decisions.
Design Philosophy
"The best design is invisible—not because it lacks character, but because it serves life so seamlessly that you stop noticing the design and start living."
Simplicity
Restraint is not deprivation—it's clarity. By removing what's unnecessary, we make room for what matters. Every element should earn its place through function, beauty, or meaning.
Functionality
Spaces should support the lives actually lived in them, not aspirational versions of those lives. Good design accommodates reality—morning chaos, work calls, lazy Sundays—not just styled moments.
Timelessness
Trends fade; principles endure. By focusing on proportion, light, material quality, and spatial flow, we create spaces that age gracefully rather than date quickly.
Notable Projects
Seaside Apartment
A compact apartment overlooking the Black Sea. The challenge was maximizing light and views while creating distinct zones for living, working, and sleeping without walls that would fragment the space. Custom millwork and a neutral palette let the changing sea and sky become the primary decoration. The client, a translator who works from home, needed the apartment to feel open during the day and cozy at night—achieved through layered lighting and movable panels.
Mountain Cabin
A weekend retreat in the Rila Mountains, designed to feel connected to the forest while providing shelter from harsh winters. Heavy timber construction with generous glazing, a central fireplace as both heat source and gathering point. The interior palette pulls directly from the surroundings—stone, wood, wool—letting the architecture frame the landscape rather than compete with it. This project taught me that the most successful mountain homes acknowledge rather than resist the seasons.
Urban Loft
Adaptive reuse of a former textile factory into a live-work loft. Exposed brick and steel trusses remained, but we introduced warmth through oak flooring, linen textiles, and careful lighting design. The challenge was honoring the industrial character while making it feel like a home, not a showroom. Movable storage units create flexible zoning—the space can expand for entertaining or contract for focused work.
Coastal Villa
A family home designed for multi-generational living, with private zones for parents, teenagers, and visiting grandparents, plus generous shared spaces. The architecture responds to the coastal climate—deep overhangs for shade, cross-ventilation, outdoor rooms that extend the living space. Material palette: local limestone, cedar, plaster. The goal was a home that would patina beautifully, aging in place alongside the family. This project embodied my belief that good design should be durable, maintainable, and better with age.
Boutique Office
Office for a small architecture studio—colleagues who wanted their workspace to reflect their design values. Open plan with flexible furniture that can be reconfigured for desk work, model-making, or client meetings. Abundant natural light, plants, and a material library integrated into the design. The space needed to be professional but not corporate, collaborative but acoustically comfortable. Custom pegboard systems allow for evolving displays of work in progress.
Let's Work Together
If you're considering a residential project and value thoughtful, timeless design, I'd love to hear from you. I take on a limited number of projects each year to ensure each receives the attention it deserves.
Get in Touch