SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

Her eyes reflect a world where colours, textures and stories speak louder than words. As a child, she lived with art. Drawing, sculpting, painting - she took it all for granted, like breathing. She cannot remember a day when she did not create. Even as a little girl, she saw the soul in a drawn chair and felt the stories of those who once used it in an old cupboard.

Her path has not always been easy, but she has never wavered from her truth and her love of art. She decided to study restoration because she has always been drawn to reviving the old and forgotten. It was not enough for her to create something new - she wanted to save, preserve and prolong the life of objects that many people ignore today. Every piece of furniture, every object that falls into her hands is given a new purpose, a new breath - but it retains its origins, its story and its identity.

For her, restoration is not just a craft, but a sensual, deep connection with the past. She sees in the piece she receives not just a cracked surface or a chipped varnish, but her grandmother's hands that put a cup of tea on that chair or table every evening. She sees her grandfather sitting by that cabinet night after night, storing letters, photographs and memories. Each piece she restores tells a story, and in Natasha's hands that story gets the chance to live on.

It places special emphasis on Slovenian cultural heritage. He often restores objects from Slovenian farmhouses, from city villas of the last century, or from the artisan workshops where our ancestors lived and worked. "Slovenia is full of hidden treasures," he says. "In attics, in cellars and in antique houses, there are objects that many people see as old rubbish. But these objects are precious memory-bearers. They are a bridge to ancestors. They are our history that we can touch."

Nataša invests in her work an immense respect for tradition, but at the same time her artistic sense that elevates each piece into something more. Whether it is a humble wooden chest or an ornately carved credenza, she treats them with the same degree of love and attention.

Over the years, it has helped preserve countless pieces that would otherwise have ended up in landfills or ovens. Many a family has been moved to tears when she returned their grandfather's restored chair or grandmother's sideboard. When old furniture shines with new beauty, while keeping the spirit of the times, it means more to her than words can describe.

At a time when the world is in a hurry and when soulless mass products dominate, it seems to me that her work conveys a message that is worth stopping for. That it is worth listening to the stories of our ancestors and feeling them through wood, metal and textiles. The values that she transmits through her work are those that keep us upright as a nation - respect for our roots, respect for craftsmanship and the past that has shaped us.

"Each piece is like an old song," she says. "Even if it's worn out and almost erased by time, with the right approach it can be played again. And when that song is heard again, that's when the culture lives on."

Nataša is the greatest artist for me. Not only because I know her and because she can create beautiful paintings, sculptures and drawings, not only because she brings objects to life, but because she works with her heart. Each of her restorations is a dedication to the life that was and the life that is to come. It is not only art that lives in her - Slovenia lives in her. Her ancestors. Her future. Her gentle but unwavering commitment to remembering who we are.

And when she sits down in the evening, tired, at the table she has rebuilt herself, and puts her brushes on it, everything seems right. That's when what we call the soul of a room shines through. And in that silence, when only the wood speaks, you can feel that art is eternal. Just like the love of home. And for everything you do with your heart. 

Zala Krupljan, 25 May 2025