A dose of art atmosphere with classical rock and jazz music The Sterling Club in Sofia where art collector Antony turned a two-room office suite into a work of art from the end of the 19^th and the turn of the 20^th century. The antiques here offer locals a veritable round-the-world trip and foreign guests – the authentic atmosphere of home.

At The Sterling Club visitors can leaf through old books in different languages under a Saudi Arabia candlestick. An Austrian cabinet from 1900 is full of books about Bulgarian tradition and folklore, but also works by Tolstoy, a History of French Literature, short stories by Jack London and much more. Or you can raise a glass, sitting in a Belgian chair, at a French table, and see cigarettes from 1919 and a vintage ashtray from… Australia. From Wednesday through Sunday you can take pleasure in the paintings by Emanuil Vassilev or a water colour in frames that are a work of art themselves, to the sound of live music.

“What I like most is the camel – a toy from 1900,” says Sterling Club owner Antony. “I also love the harmonicas which are very rare, I have been collecting them for years. And it gives me great pleasure to play them. But what thrills me most are the paintings. Any chance I get, I “rescue” paintings – in these times of crisis art sells for peanuts. But if you try hard enough you are sure to find something interesting. That was how I collected objects from America – for example from Peru and Chile, also from India.”

The Sterling Club is a wonderful place where friends can meet, but also see, all in one place, medieval woodcarvings, similar to the woodcarvings at the church in Boyana, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list and…copper American Indian figurines.

English version: Milena Daynova

Photos: Anna Kapitanova