The ‘Massa’ – Buying Furniture in Bulgaria

In this post, I share our experiences of buying furniture in Bulgaria. I have mentioned elsewhere that my blog was originally inspired by a reading of A Year in Provence. The novel contains a hilarious scenario involving a very heavy stone table.  The protagonists covet the table for their outdoor eating area and commission their local stone mason to indulge their decadence.  Unfortunately, he deposits the finished item of furniture outside of their garden gate, and they are completely unable to situate it to the desired location due to its size, weight and the structure of their premisses. Months pass as they attempt various strategies, including enlisting the help of their local football team to help move it.

Custom Made Furniture at an Affordable Price

One of the local restaurants which we frequent is adorned with beautiful wooden tables (‘masa’ in Bulgarian) each one unique as they are made from actual slices of tree trunks. Every time we visit I admire the beauty and solidity of the tables; it’s a real experience to eat on them. One of our regular trips into town brought discovery of one such table in a furniture shop. I was thrilled to learn that not only could we purchase our own but that it was affordable!

The furniture shop provides a carpentry service, and they agreed to make us an even bigger version of the one in stock; I wanted one that would sit at least sixteen people. This was the third item I have had custom made to my own specifications.  The first time involved a pantry unit I had been eulogising over on Pinterest, and the second was a beautiful hard wood chest of drawers.  Buying furniture in Bulgaria is definitely more affordable than in England – especially for Such ‘custom made’ items.

Excitedly, we ordered the table, and eagerly awaited its arrival. In the meantime, Jeff began to construct a roof over the outside eating area to protect the table from the sun in summer and the rain in winter.

Delivery

Already having experience of buying furniture in Bulgaria, , we knew that the van drivers often insist on ‘chauffeur’ only, and so we rang around friends asking for some help.  On the morning of delivery, however, only one of them showed.  Looking at the completed piece of furniture , it was obvious this was a job for at least eight men.  The benches alone required at least two strong men to carry them.  Undeterred, our obliging friend instructed the van driver to circle the village. He returned shortly afterwards with more hands.

The willing gang of men stood aghast at the site of the table.  “Why?!”  asked one of them. Due to my limited Bulgarian I was unable to explain my love of entertaining and cooking – though I knew that he would probably be one of our first guests.

Eating Out All Year Round

We had planned to situate the table in the middle of the garden, but so heavy was it that we barely got it through the gate! So here it now sits for us to enjoy for a good eight months of the year. Even in wintertime we have surprisingly warm days, and due to the roof structure we are able to sit out even in the rain.

It is delightful being able to enjoy this piece of handcrafted furniture for less than the price of a high street buy in England that would measure half the size. And it has provided us with a perfect focal point for shared meals that form long lasting memories. It’s also a great working surface for preparing our fruit and veg outside in the summer months as it is so durable.