Furnishing a House in Istria: Premium Furniture and Lighting

Where do you buy good furniture and lighting for a house in Istria? Locally, most of the choice is in large mass-market chains. For premium or designer pieces, owners usually drive to Zagreb, Ljubljana or Italy, order from abroad and organise delivery to the village, or go to one of the few specialist showrooms on the peninsula, such as Lampisa in Pula, which we recommend.

This guide covers where to shop, what survives sun, salt and stone walls, how to measure an old house, how to light stone rooms, and how to time it all before the first guests.

Where can you buy furniture in Istria?

For everyday furniture there are chain stores in the bigger towns. Emmezeta has stores in Pula and Poreč/Parenzo, and JYSK in Pula, Rovinj/Rovigno, Umag, Pazin and Labin. They are fine for mattresses, bedding, garden chairs and rental basics, but the range is mass-market: the same sofa will be in many apartments along the coast.

There is no IKEA store in Istria. The nearest are in Zagreb, Ljubljana and Villesse near Gorizia in Italy, roughly two to three hours' drive from Pula. IKEA has a delivery centre in Pula and another near Rijeka for collecting online orders. Store lists change, so check the chains' websites before a trip.

For premium furniture and designer lighting, the choice inside Istria is small, so many owners combine a shopping weekend in Trieste, Ljubljana or Zagreb with orders from abroad. Within the EU there are no customs: when you buy in a shop in Italy, Slovenia or Austria for your own use, you pay that country's VAT once. An online shop in another EU country delivering to Croatia usually charges Croatian VAT. Goods from outside the EU, for example the UK, can bring import VAT and duty.

Holiday rental or your own home: what to choose

Furniture in Istria has to cope with strong sun that fades fabrics, salt air that attacks metal near the sea, and old stone houses that can be damp in winter, especially when empty. See how the Istrian climate affects your house.

In stone houses, leave a small gap between large furniture and cold outside walls so air can move. Outdoors, plan for bura, the gusty north-easterly wind: choose heavier pieces, use proper parasol bases and agree who puts cushions away when bura is forecast.

Measure before you order: stairs, doors and thick walls

The most common furniture problem in old Istrian houses is access. Old-town houses in Rovinj, Poreč or Pula often have narrow lanes, steep stone stairs with a turn, low doorways and deep window openings. Our guide to renovating an old-town house explains why deliveries there need planning.

1. The route. Measure from where a van can stop to the room: gate, front door, hallway, every turn of the stairs, and the narrowest point with handrails included.
2. Doors. Width and height of each door opening, with the door open, and the depth of the reveal in thick walls.
3. Headroom. The lowest point on the stairs and under beams or vaults.
4. The room itself. Wall lengths at floor level and at one metre high, because old walls are rarely straight, and ceiling height where vaults start to curve.
5. Photos. Take photos of each point with the tape measure visible, and send them with your order.

If a sofa or wardrobe will not fit, there are three ways out: modular pieces that come in sections, furniture assembled in the room, or furniture made to measure. Made-to-measure suits stone houses anyway, because standard sizes rarely fit deep alcoves, sloping ceilings or a bedroom under the roof.

How to light stone walls and vaulted konoba rooms

Stone walls swallow light. A room that looks bright on a July afternoon can feel like a cave on a November evening, and a single ceiling light makes rough walls look flat. This is especially true of the vaulted ground-floor konoba many houses have, once used for wine, oil and tools; our guide to converting a konoba covers the building side.

• Layer the light. Combine general light with wall lights, table and floor lamps, so the room works for cooking, reading and evenings.
• Light the stone itself. Uplights or wall washers close to a stone wall bring out its texture; a vault lit from below looks higher.
• One focal piece. In a vaulted or high room, a chandelier or a large pendant over the dining table becomes the centre. Check the ceiling fixing and hanging length first.
• Warm light and dimmers. Warm white light suits stone and wood, and dimmers let one room work for day and evening.
• Outdoors. Use fittings rated for outdoor use and sea air, and plan cable routes before the terrace is paved.

Plan lighting before the walls are finished. Chasing cables into stone is slow and messy, so points for wall lights, outside lights and switches belong in the electrician's plan from the start.

Where to see premium lighting and furniture in Istria: our tip

Our recommendation on the peninsula is Lampisa, a lighting and furniture showroom in Pula harbour at Sv. Polikarpa 8. They sell designer lighting, including Murano glass and crystal chandeliers, pendant, wall, table and floor lamps and outdoor lighting, plus over 2,200 furniture pieces from catalogues: sofas, armchairs, beds, tables and sideboards. Furniture can be made to measure, with dimensions, colours and materials adapted to your space.

Models are on display and consultation in the showroom is free (Monday to Friday 9–17, Saturday 9–14). You send an inquiry and receive a quote, with no upfront payment. They deliver to your home or site, with installation on request, and also furnish hotels, restaurants and villas, which helps if you are fitting out several units at once. Browse Lampisa's online catalogue before you visit.

When to order: lead times and the season

Furniture that is made to order, made to measure or shipped from abroad often takes several weeks, sometimes longer. Work backwards from your first guests and leave a buffer for delays and damaged pieces.

• Autumn and winter: finish the building work, choose furniture and lighting, and place orders.
• Early spring: deliveries, assembly and lighting installation; spring is busy for tradesmen in Istria, so book early.
• Before the season: final cleaning, photos for the listing and a last check of everything.

Do the noisy work, such as tiling, plastering and drilling, before summer: many coastal towns restrict building works in the tourist season, as our guide to the summer construction ban in Istria explains. For other things that catch foreign owners out, read what surprises foreigners about building in Croatia.

Delivery, assembly and installation

Someone has to be at the house when the furniture arrives, check it and carry it in. Our moving and transport team carries heavy items and can collect purchases with a van and driver, useful when a carrier delivers only to the kerb or to a depot in town. Our kitchen and furniture installation service assembles flat-pack furniture, wardrobes and kitchens, and fits custom furniture where standard pieces do not suit the walls. Lights are connected by qualified electricians; see electrical work.

Furnishing a whole rental? Read converting a house into holiday apartments and plan the kitchen with our kitchen renovation guide. For getting a rental ready each spring, our holiday home maintenance covers pre-season preparation, and we send photos as each room comes together.