Discover Estorio, the hottest interior design hub of Budapest

Conceived by the interior design studio este’r partners, the project transcends the usual showroom concept: the furnished home reveals a distinctive design vision, elaborated to the finest detail, whose alternative reality is also manifested in the online space. In the near future, these imagined living spaces may even materialize in different points of Europe. We talked to Eszter Radnóczy, founder and owner of este’r partners, about the birth of the new brand. Find out more about the exciting new location of Budapest, and meet the designer team responsible in our interview!

How would you sum up the work and portfolio of este’r partners?

Our international portfolio consists of a wide range of architectural and interior design projects, which we carry out ourselves according to our clients’ requirements. Our day-to-day work includes both private and corporate commissions: from hotels, restaurants and bars, shops, offices, museums and galleries to the reconstruction of apartments, lofts and houses, historic buildings and castles.

The design work is managed, supervised and monitored by our qualified and experienced project architects selected for each project. In addition to the design process, we also place great emphasis on providing advice and design supervision during the implementation phase of each project. This helps to ensure quality workmanship and on-time delivery, as well as keeping project schedules and costs under control.

You founded este’r partners 16 years ago, and since then it has grown to become a dominant player in the domestic - and international - interior design scene. How did the brand start, evolve and change during this time?

I studied interior design in Italy, but my first degree was in economics. At first glance, this may seem unusual, but this dual background has proven very useful - it helps in particular with structure building, project management and budget control. The indispensable creativity is a quality I have always possessed and wanted to develop in interior design. At the beginning, I dreamt of a smaller studio, but it soon became clear that the prospective projects could be executed successfully with a larger group of experts. Since we started, the team has grown, we have added many exciting references to our portfolio and in the last 2-3 years we have also had a co-office in Milan, which is particularly close to my heart, as we have fulfilled the main goal we had when we started: to work together in a collaborative way with our partner, Stefano Napolitani and Waves Project Ltd. And this spring, we will showcase our values and design approach in a more exciting way than ever before with the opening of Estorio.

In your opinion, what makes este’r partners really special to your clients?

We operate as a full-service company, which means that we do not let go of our clients’ hands, but can keep projects on track from the core of the idea through to the design and implementation. In recent years, our office has built up an extensive network of international contacts, and we have personal and often friendly relations with manufacturers.

We know nothing is impossible: there is no special material that we cannot find - but if the product we have in mind is not available, we will design it and, together with our partners, manufacture it individually for the project.

​​But our manufacturer relationships alone are not enough, it is our exceptional team that enables us to deliver highly complex projects. Our success is the result of the combined efforts of our talented designers, our project managers with specialist knowledge, and our colleagues in finance and support roles.

In this extensive and active network, you have close relationships with nearly 40 - typically Italian, German and Scandinavian - premium brands. Which of these brands would you highlight (without claiming to be exhaustive)?

In terms of textiles and fabrics, I would mention Rubelli, Black Tie, Missoni Home and Flukso, they have great textiles, an amazing range of colors and products, so they are a great choice not only for private homes but also for public projects. Apart from the Italian brands, another exciting one is the Dutch Walltextile Company, which pays homage to the Dutch Golden Age with its unique colors and textures.

In terms of lighting, I would put the inescapable Flos, Catellani&Smith and ZAVAluce at the top of the list, which is really youthful, modern and uses real copper and aluminum. Valcucine leads the category with its technologically and sustainably outstanding kitchens, and Kreoo, famous for its marble processing - tables, taps, baths, etc. -, a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

In the tiling area, Foglie d’Oro’s elegant walnut parquets bring a refreshing, characterful color to the otherwise equally beautiful but much more common sea of oak floors; Emil Ceramica, Lea Ceramiche dominate the world of large-scale tiling. Cosy International’s unique glass and aluminum wardrobe systems have also been a top-pick for us.

Which is your favorite reference project from the past years?

Among the rural projects, I would highlight the Agrosverzum in Martonvár, the Agricultural Science Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which is located in the extended Brunszvik manor house. In the capital we have had several projects that we are really proud of. One of the crown jewels of last year was the Emerald Residence, shining on the site of the former Telephone Center on Servita Square.

​​The basic structure was already built when we were involved in the project as interior designers, which was left to our care until completion, so the entire interior design was under our supervision. We went through an exciting and challenging journey with the client until we found the common style and solutions to match. The building is multi-functional (hotel, restaurant and apartments); our brief was to create a modern, yet classically styled space.

Among the love projects of private commissions were a law office on Dalszínház Street, where we were given almost completely free rein, and a beautiful luxury villa on Gellért Hill, which had to be demolished to the foundations and then rebuilt.

We have also had the honor of working with Archikon on the revival of two iconic tenement palaces in the heart of Budapest. The former palaces of the Saxlehner and Haggenmacher families are located at 3 and 52 Andrássy Street, in a historic environment. These are, of course, years in the making, but the three-star A52 is just opening its doors to visitors.

The Minute Bar on Andrassy Avenue was completed right before the beginning of the pandemic, and recently reopened as Sfinx Bar, with the same interior design concept that we originally envisioned. We are particularly pleased that Sfinx, which is the flagship bar of the Hungarian Opera Gin, makes particularly "clever" use of space (e.g. lights) and the service is also exquisite.

What is the inspiration behind the latest initiative, Estorio? How is it connected to or separated from your studio, este’r partners?

Interior design is revolving around empathy. The designer has to adapt to the clients, listen to them and help them to develop their world, their vision, so that the final result is in harmony with the zeitgeist, with nature and with us. We need to be able to move gently between different trends. Ultimately, each project has its own unique style, which is the result of a combination of these factors.

Although we go about our work accordingly, and we love working with and for clients, we wanted to show our own taste and uncompromised concept in a real space that we had imagined, designed and built from scratch. In a downtown flat of around 140 square meters, we use solutions from our fantastic partners to build a homely, stylish and inviting living space where thoughtful design, impeccable use of materials and quality craftsmanship are not just sound phrases, but become values that can be felt and experienced.

Estorio is not a showroom, even though it offers visitors the opportunity to discover the diverse and exciting products of our preferred brands, whether popular or excellent but less known by broader audiences.

As the curator of the design space, este’r partners selects products - furniture, coverings, accessories, etc. - according to a specific, distinct style, and builds a livable and practical bourgeois residence where you can have a coffee, a prosecco or even dinner, giving yourself over to the real impact of the concept in question. 

Who are you creating Estorio for and what does the future hold for the brand?

The imminent opening is just the beginning: Estorio is a dynamically developing online and offline space, a concept that evolves with our culture and partners. Using 3D renderings, we will also make alternative versions of the same space accessible on the website. We want to present how different moods can be achieved by different - for example natural, masculine or art deco - selections by rearranging product groups or by customizing different materials, and how the overall effect can change as a result of the combinations.

We would like to create a lively, salon-like venue, where we can meet like-minded people, designers and architects. We welcome anyone by telephone appointment, and will also be holding regular training sessions and thematic professional days, where we will be working alongside our manufacturer partners to showcase the features and benefits of the solutions and product ranges available.

Keep an eye on the news around este’r partners in March and April, as Estorio will be opening soon! Be part of the ever-changing world of interior design: subscribe to our newsletter and join us on Instagram and Facebook! See you soon, between 23-25 September at the Budapest Arena during the 4th edition of S/ALON BUDAPEST.