Following the success of last year’s edition, Zagreb Fair is once again bringing together the partners of the StanZaSutra project at the Ambienta fair. Together, they will furnish and equip a 101 m² apartment. Once the fair has ended, all the furniture and equipment will be transferred to a city-owned apartment that will become a home for young people participating in the Semi-Independent Living Programme run by SOS Children’s Village Croatia. Discover more.
StanZaSutra (Apartment for Tomorrow) – a Safer Start to Independent Life for Young People
A roof over their heads alone is not enough to provide a safer start to independent life for young people leaving alternative care and growing up without family support. A sense of security, support, and belonging is equally important. This need inspired Zagreb Fair’s StanZaSutra initiative, launched in 2025 at the Ambienta fair under the auspices of the City of Zagreb.
The project combines social responsibility with a more environmentally sustainable approach to interior design. A realistic replica of an apartment is constructed inside the exhibition pavilion and furnished with more sustainable furniture, appliances, and interior solutions. The space represents the future home of young people participating in the Semi-Independent Living Programme run by SOS Children’s Village Croatia.
During the fair, the apartment serves as a source of inspiration and an example of sustainable home design. Once the event has ended, all the exhibited furniture and equipment will be transferred to an actual city-owned apartment in Novi Jelkovec, providing the Programme’s young participants with a safer and better start to independent life.
Following last year’s 88 m² apartment, the project is taking another step forward in 2026 by furnishing an even larger space — an apartment covering 101 m².
More information about the project, its partners, and the furnishing process is available at: https://stanzasutra-zv.com/.
A Partnership That Builds a New Beginning
This initiative was born from the desire to give an exhibition space lasting value and to change lives through systematic social responsibility and cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Renata Suša, Director of Zagreb Fair, emphasized her joy in seeing the original idea continue to grow:
“As the initiators of this project, we are extremely pleased and proud to witness the evolution of an idea conceived at Zagreb Fair into a long-term, sustainable model of socially responsible business. Our primary objective was to go beyond the framework of a traditional interior design exhibition and create a project that brings real, tangible value to the lives of those who need it most. The continuation of the project this year confirms the validity of that vision and the strength of our shared mission. We are pleased that the City of Zagreb recognized the potential of the idea, and we are immensely grateful to our private-sector partners, who readily invested their knowledge, products, and resources in this initiative. By working together, we are demonstrating that the public and private sectors can act in a coordinated way and that, in this case, their cooperation results in a warm and welcoming home for young people, helping them take their first steps towards independent life more easily.”
The importance of such partnerships in addressing complex social challenges was also highlighted by Dr Lora Vidović, Head of the City Office for Social Protection, Health, War Veterans and Persons with Disabilities of the City of Zagreb:
“When creating a safer start to independent life for young people leaving alternative care who have grown up without family support, a sense of belonging is just as essential as having a roof over their heads. As it enters its second year, the StanZaSutra project confirms the importance of the community’s active role in recognizing the needs of this vulnerable group of young people and creating opportunities for a better future. By connecting the private and public sectors, the project has also demonstrated the importance of partnership in finding new solutions to social challenges.”
Gordana Daniel, Director of National Programme Development at SOS Children’s Village Croatia, echoed these views, pointing out how a fully furnished home can make the first steps towards independence considerably easier:
“StanZaSutra is an excellent example of how cooperation between the public, private and non-profit sectors can bring about tangible change. A fully furnished apartment gives young people a sense of security, makes their first steps towards independence easier and enables them to begin a new chapter of their lives with dignity.”
Related Article: Project #StanZaSutra: The Sustainable Home for Young People from SOS Children’s Villages Croatia
What a New Home Means to Young People
Young people becoming independent through the Semi-Independent Living Programme receive extensive support from the professionals at SOS Children’s Village Croatia. Their own experiences best demonstrate how much this opportunity means to them.
What the young women who moved into the apartment furnished in 2025 have said:
S.A.Š. (19):
“Our monthly expenses are much lower in the apartment, particularly our utility bills, which allows us to save a considerable amount of money. When we look at current housing costs, this really is an excellent opportunity.”
B.T. (18):
“Moving into the apartment made the process of becoming independent much easier for me. I learned how to organize my time and responsibilities better and how to take on greater responsibility.”
Three young men will move into the apartment being furnished this year in the autumn:
M.Đ. (18):
“For me, moving into a home equipped for a dignified life represents an opportunity for a better and easier start. It also brings the responsibility of maintaining it as well as I can and preserving it for the other young people who will come after me.”
L.B. (17):
“This space represents security, peace and a new beginning for me — a foundation for a positive future. It gives me greater privacy and a place where I can live, create and make plans.”
B.B. (18):
“For me, this represents a new beginning and a great deal of support, particularly from a financial perspective. I am looking forward to it, I am excited, and I am grateful for such a unique opportunity.”
The Companies Behind the Project
The project would not be possible without the partner companies that donate their time, expertise, financial resources, and products.
The project’s main partner is JYSK. Vesna Kukić Lončarić, Country Director for Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, highlighted the importance of combining aesthetics with care for people:
“Building on our successful cooperation, JYSK is proud to participate in the Ambienta fair again this year by furnishing a second apartment. By participating in this project, we are not simply decorating a space; we are creating a home that offers young people a sense of security, warmth and support during an important period in their lives. We believe sustainability has genuine value when it combines care for the environment with care for people.”
Stella Nišević, Marketing Manager for the Gorenje and Hisense brands, confirmed that technology should serve a clear and humane purpose:
“We are proud that, by donating appliances, we can help create a functional and comfortable home for young people who need support the most. We believe technology has the greatest value when it improves people’s quality of life.”
Vladimir Brkljača, Member of the Management Board of M SAN Group responsible for the VIVAX segment, said that participating in the project gives VIVAX an opportunity to contribute through concrete action to creating better conditions for the independent lives of young people from SOS Children’s Village Croatia:
“By participating in the project, we want to make a tangible contribution to giving young people a safer start to independent life. We believe that cooperation between businesses and socially responsible partners can create positive change.”
The private sector has also played an active role in creating a functional living environment by contributing construction and finishing materials. This was confirmed by Nikica Cvitkušić, Manager of the FEAL Keramika Zagreb branch:
“By renovating the bathroom, we wanted to help create a functional and comfortable living space. We are proud to participate in a project that brings young people genuine and lasting value.”
As an essential part of this partnership, Goran Dolenec, Director of Chromos Boje i Lakovi and KANSAI HELIOS Croatia, concluded that the true strength of industry lies in using its resources for the common good:
“StanZaSutra demonstrates how the knowledge, products and experience of our industry can be used to create tangible benefits for the community. We are proud to be part of a project that gives young people a new beginning.”
Anđelka Toto Ormuž, Head of Corporate Affairs at ROCKWOOL Adriatic, agreed:
“Following last year’s successful cooperation, we decided to make an additional contribution to the project this year by donating computers. We believe that education and digital skills are an important foundation for independent life and future employment.”
Representatives of SG FORMA stated:
“We are pleased to be part of this positive and creative approach to thinking and action once again this year. It is also an expression of solidarity, as it provides support to the most vulnerable members of our community.”
A Future Being Built Today
After four days at the Ambienta fair, the exhibition space will cease to be an exhibit. All the furniture, appliances, and equipment will be transferred to a city-owned apartment where three young participants in the Semi-Independent Living Programme run by SOS Children’s Village Croatia will begin a new stage of their lives.
This is precisely why StanZaSutra is more than a trade fair project. It is an example of how an exhibition space can become the place where someone’s new life begins.
StanZaSutra in Numbers:
- More than 10,000 visitors toured the show apartment during the inaugural edition of the StanZaSutra project at Ambienta in 2025.
- 101 m² is the size of the new apartment that will become a home for young people participating in the Semi-Independent Living Programme run by SOS Children’s Village Croatia after the fair.
- EUR 0 is the amount of rent paid by the Programme’s young participants, enabling them to begin independent life more safely and easily.
- 1–4 October 2026 — the dates of the Ambienta fair, during which visitors will be able to tour the StanZaSutra apartment before it becomes a real home.
Text and Photos: Zagreb Fair
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