about Paladim | Welcome to the workshop

From crafters and dreamers. Made by hand since 2012.

We build our creations, hoping to inspire and satisfy the craving eye.

With a character of its own, every product is stripped down to its fundamentals. Having nothing more than it needs and nothing less to make it whole.

We like to imagine a world of freedom of the mind. Freedom to rid yourself of life's excess in favor of focusing on what's important - so you can find happiness, fulfillment and success.

Each product that comes out of the workshop is marked and signed by the one of us who made it. And if we put our name on it, we stand for it.

We appreciate not only the building process, but the development process behind it, too.

My story and how Paladim started

This is me, Dimitar, a passionate maker and entrepreneur who turned his childhood hobby into a fulfilling business. It looks to me that my journey began when I was a kid, I had a curious mind and loved to take things apart to see how they worked. My interest in creating things led me to dive into computer games, but I wasn't just a gamer, I was a developer too. I tought myself programming, graphic design, and 3D modelling, and soon I was creating my own computer games.

However, when I went to university to study economics, I stopped pursuing my passion for game development. One summer my father and I were redecorating my sister's room. I made a lamp for her renovated room, and that sparked a new interest in making things with my hands. My father is a skilled metal worker himself, and he held a garage workshop which he practically just gave to me. I was inspired, had the whole summer in front of me and decided to try my hand at making lamps.

I was a very lucky young man, and I had some really supportive friends. I started small by selling my first lamps on forums for a modest price of 17 leva (around 11 USD). You remember when people were communicating on forums, not social medial? I was excited when I made my first few sales, and I used the money to buy more materials to make more lamps. I continued to work on my newly found craft and eventually set a goal for myself - if I made 1000 leva in a month, I would turn my hobby into a full-time business.

On my way to "creating a business" I started working as an intern in a PR office, but I quickly became disillusioned with the job. I realized that I would rather put the same amount of time and effort into my lamps than waste my time at an unfulfilling job where I practically did nothing of use. So, I started to focus more on making lamps and improving my skills. And last but not least, be my own boss.

With growing demand for Paladim lamps and then clocks, I knew I needed to build a team and turn my side husstle into a full-fledged business. I slowly built a team and found a new workshop where we could create anything we wanted. I never forgot my childhood dream of having a workshop like Dexter's, and now I have one.

I am grateful for all the support I have received along the way and feel lucky to be doing what I love. Thank you all!

* me and Davis in the garage workshop, 2016