Who we are?
Who was Mimi?
Mimi was a housewife that took care of a home and a family. She was an outstanding cook, she loved her garden, loved to pick mushrooms and herbs, she was skilled in handicrafts. She loved to wander and socialize while playing cards with her friends. For me she was a free spirited warrior that loved life.
Mimi was my grandmother that lived from 1924 to 1991. As a 19 year old girl she joined the Yugoslav Partisan movement during World War II where she received the Partisan name "Mimi". There she met a Partisan by the name of Jon, they fell in love, got married and in the winter of 1944 in a hospital hidden deep in the forest she had her first daughter.
After the liberation they had three more children. Jon was an officer in the Yugoslav People's Army so they moved around the former country of Yugoslavia a lot. In the sixties they settled down and built a house with their own hands in which I live now with my family. Many memories of different time periods of our family and our land are still here with us.
This is a story of the times my grandma and her people lived in. I'm dedicating this work to her and I know she would like it.
Why Vintage?
From my childhood I remember Mimi having a special space for antiquities on the shelves in her living room. Grandpa Jon liked woodcrafting so he would refurbish the antiquities and give them a new life.
There were several pieces that endured through decades. Among them stood a very old iron that worked on charcoal, a scratched old brass spoon Mimi inherited from her mother in law, vintage lights, gorgeous glass ale mug with a lid and different wooden items that lit a flame of childhood curiosity and appreciation for our heirloom in me. Many of these antiquities are still in our family and are untouchable, but many got lost through the years.
As a child I too started to gather my own collection. I rummaged through attics, old abandoned houses, I dug through nearby castle ruins and I salvaged items from junkyards.
About me
With you is Andrej, the founder of AB design d.o.o., which has been producing unique functional ceramics for 30 years. Over these decades, I have developed my own recognizable unique style and, together with my colleagues, created beautiful products under the AB design brand.
We have also collaborated with renowned Slovenian designers and architects in the realization of their ideas and projects. In our work, we have not limited ourselves to clay as a material, but have also created with other materials and techniques.
After times of crisis and major changes, after 2020, the decision was made to discontinue the production of ceramics, and so I devoted myself entirely to the field of antiques and vintage pieces, which had previously accompanied me more as a hobby.
In a new direction, I use all the rich knowledge and experience that I have gained over decades of creation and entrepreneurship and share them with you in the form of products.
Where From?
Every item in our shop carries its own story, a small part of my wonderful Slovenia, a diverse land in Central Europe with turbulent history.
Slovenia is a mosaic of diverse natural and cultural beauty. It's the land where sharp alpine, relaxed mediterranean and melancholic pannonian land meet. It's one of the most wooded countries in the world with lots of water and fertile soil.
In the past 100 years the Slovenian nation lived in four different countries and each left its mark and historic impact. Most of all you can feel the remains of socialistic society of Yugoslavia that fell on the evening that my grandma passed away and unfortunately she did not get to witness the declaration of independent Republic of Slovenia
A Tradition of Craftsmanship
Before the Second World War we were a mostly agricultural country. After that we were part of socialist Yugoslavia that included many nations in its 46 year history and with that came rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Slovenia was the most developed republic of SFRY (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and despite socialism we preserved a rich craftsmanship tradition that caused some important companies to evolve.
These companies produced products that were among the best in the world in terms of quality and design. Today many are valued as vintage and retro icons and you will find them in our shop. Most notably brands like Meblo, Stol Kamnik, Iskra, Gorenje...
Welcome to a journey through memories and nostalgia.
