The heyday of kitschy cheap souvenirs is officially over – there are now plenty of places around Budapest where we can buy genuinely stylish Magyar-made design objects, accessories, books, and knickknacks. However, now much of the city’s best handmade merchandise can be found at the same spot, as the newest pop-up shop of Projekt Showroom, called Budapest Colors, is now open in a central store location on the historic downtown boulevard of Andrássy Avenue, offering an alternative for aesthetic enthusiasts who appreciate adorable, beautiful, and useful Budapest-themed design objects.
Those who are familiar with Projekt Showroom’s creative concept might already be accustomed to the always special and atmospheric appearance of their pop-up stores, but this time visitors can expect a truly extraordinary interior. The newest project that made its debut in late July, Budapest Colors, bears a symbolic name, and will remain open through September 30th. The store’s decoration, comprised of the impressive paper installations of Slip and Ábra, was the idea of monokróm and Krisztina Csikós. The bright hues and the charming character of the store come from the large colorful letters spelling out “Budapest” in Judit Szécsi’s eye-catching shop window.
The team is really proud that Projekt Showroom inspired numerous artists to create new collections especially for Budapest Colors, such as Kezemura, Tünde Ruzicska, Evuska, The Four, and Mézes Mirákulum. Guests can find a little book corner, edible treats, beauty products, gifts for children, jewelry, paper products, and the artworks of Magyar designers and manufacturers in the 170-square-meter store.
We would like to highlight a few of the countless specialties that Budapest Colors has to offer: ceramicist Tünde Ruzicska presents tiny vases and pálinka shot glasses for this pop-up store, which is a true specialty as her works are normally only made to order; her wonderfully painted plates are used at Budapest’s Michelin-starred Tanti restaurant. The fashion section is enhanced with the minimalist leather works of Tamás Varju, the fresh printed shirts of Pamut Apparel, and the cool accessories of Zsofi Hidasi. We also find the tasty marmalades and syrups of Katyvasz on the shelves, the sweet honeys of Kőteleki Kaptár, and the tasty products of Kanálka. The fragrant and decorative soaps of the beauty section came from Zador and PurPur, and the products of Szakállasember and Cocoon’s balms also attract manly men into the store.
Projekt Showroom always rocks paper products, and it is no different this time either; check out Rubidium’s paperware decorated with the planets of our solar system, the Citygraph graphics of Béla Magyar, the witty pictures of Marcus Goldson, the hand-drawn map designs of Urban Sidewalker, film posters, and the paper-and-shadow theaters of Manufaktor Műterem are all among the immensely exciting pieces found in the shop. The Little Hungaropedia book series is also available in various languages, from Hungarian to Japanese.
We heartily recommend Projekt Showroom even for a short visit, as it is a perfect placeto discover the artworks of Magyar contemporary artists and manufacturers, all of which you can buy at the shop. Furthermore, Budapest Colors is also expanded with a new service: between May and September they also operate as a tourist-information point, so they gladly help all lost lambs find their way in Budapest. Projekt Showroom FacebookAddress: Budapest 1061, Andrássy út 5
Opening hours: through September 30, 10am-8pm daily (including weekends and holidays)
