Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalina Todorova.
Kalina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story began in Bulgaria. I was born and raised there at a time when the country was very isolated from the western world. My memories of my childhood are wonderful as my parents raised me and my siblings to be curious and value education and to love adventure and enjoy the beautiful nature of our country. We used to camp underneath the stars at the sandy beaches of the picturesque Black sea and windsurf to cool off during the hot summer days. In the winter months, we would escape the capital city Sofia on weekends to enjoy skiing in the mountains.
But my curiosity about the world beyond the cold boundaries of the Eastern Block grew as I began to understand the political situation there. The fall of the Berlin wall marked the start of a change and the overruling of close to the 45-year long communist regime. The doors to the world were now open.
I moved to the USA in 2001. I hold master’s degree in Interior and Furniture Design and my love and appreciation for design found its match when I stumbled upon the Danish furniture brand BoConcept. I’ve always admired the Danish Design heritage, modern thinking, functionality, and appreciation of the simple, natural elements.
My career and professional journey began at a BoConcept retail store working as an Interior Designer, but my responsibilities quickly grew as I started planning the retail displays and showroom design and updates for few of the brand stores at the time.
After few years in managing and supporting the visual expression of multiple retail stores in NYC I began to cover the broader territory, first North America, and also South America. A few years later, I became the Global Visual Merchandising manager for BoConcept.
Traveling through work and as a personal interest, connecting with people and learning about different cultures and traditions, organizing seminars and participating in global conferences and trend talks have allowed me to become a citizen of the world. Understanding trends in interior design, retail and lifestyle are a driving force and inspiration in my work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting from scratch in a new country, different culture to an extent from the one I grew up with, not yet fluent in the language, being away from friends and family had some challenges. Proving myself as a professional in a highly competitive NYC market, on the international and global level was not easy either.
Now, my challenges are different. I’m a mother of two adorable young kids. I balance between demanding career, traveling and family life.
But, I look at challenges as opportunities to showcase my strengths and abilities. There are always challenges or boundaries, some are real, some we put in our minds as such. It is about how we look at these challenges. Changing the perspective always brings a new view of the horizon. It doesn’t matter if we see the glass half full or half empty, if we are fixated on the glass, we may fail to see the pitcher full of water standing right next to the glass. The reality is that we must take chances. Sometimes our biggest fears become our biggest successes.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into BoConcept story. Tell us more about the business.
My work and passion is interior design. I’m intrigued by architecture and the symbiosis between spaces and the narrated storytelling of the interior design. I specialize in residential design, retail and visual merchandising. Understanding how people experience spaces, using principles of balance, nature, and colors to influence the perception of space and creating emotions effects are all part of the consideration in my work.
I’m also a certified Green AP by the Sustainable Furnishing Council and very mindful of materials used in interiors and the effects on our wellbeing.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Be true to yourself, be mindful and present, don’t try to fit in if it does not feel it is the right thing to do. We are all different and this is the beauty of life. Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and make sure that the steps you take, big or small, all point in the same direction. A step back is not a failure. Celebrate your successes and remember to enjoy the little things in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boconcept.com
- Phone: 1-201-328-5946
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalina_todorova/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalina-todorova-suarez-a6b65646/
Image Credit:
Leandro Justen
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