Graceful, refined, expressive, and with the charm of a teenager, Tatiana Popescu speaks with ease and offers detailed explanations about every aspect of the business she founded ten years ago, a business that has grown steadily ever since. In 2025, results are up by 30% compared to the same period last year, and she says, “I believe we’ll maintain a growth rate of 30–35%, but in 2026 I expect we’ll double our turnover, because we have several major projects starting next year that are already signed, specified, and confirmed.” Across the group, sales have already reached 8 million euros (40 million lei) in the first eight months, and she estimates that the year will close at around 10 million euros.
“Last year, growth reached 60%, and the entrepreneur also mentions that the company’s progress has always been on an upward trend, although the pace has depended on her level of involvement. There were years when she gave birth — she has three children — and during those years the increase was around 20–25%; in the years when she was deeply involved in the business, growth ranged between 30% and 60%.”
What does Quadra Casa do?
“At the moment, it is perhaps the only supplier capable of offering a complete project solution — from exterior to interior, excluding the structure. Everything related to the ‘skin’ of a building. We are the only ones who can deliver solutions for façades, materials, installation, flooring, exteriors — gardens, pools, and so on.”
She says with a laugh that she didn’t choose the field of finishes for her business development — the choice came naturally, given her husband’s experience. “I was operating at a much higher level in terms of product pricing,” she recalls. Before choosing entrepreneurship, she had specialized in the international sales of semi-precious stones, which are priced much higher than the products currently in the company’s portfolio. A graduate of the Faculty of Finance, Tatiana Popescu began her professional journey at a French outsourcing export company. Her career developed in the export field, mainly abroad, until she decided to focus on the Romanian market and reduce travel, as motherhood required her presence at home. At that time, she didn’t know the Romanian market well, and when she founded Quadra Casa, “not being, frankly speaking, hungry for money — because I already had enough — I targeted high-end clients, the very large ones, and that became my focus. My first client was Globalworth, one of the biggest developers, with whom I completed a major project in my very first year. Moreover, from the beginning, I didn’t compete with local companies offering the same category of products or solutions.”
Lessons from abroad, applied locally
With international know-how, Tatiana Popescu explains that she has applied foreign working models locally, while her husband, Hussein Ibrahim, brings his own experience from the sanitary products market, having developed a business based in Saudi Arabia with an annual turnover of “many hundreds of millions of euros,” as he himself says. “We introduced different solutions from what was demanded or available on the Romanian market. Having worked on numerous export projects and drawing on my husband’s experience, it was relatively easy for me to step away from the local mindset and bring in new types of products and a different approach,” the entrepreneur explains. She gives an example: when it came to exterior finishing materials, ten years ago the standard choice was salt-and-pepper granite — “that was all anyone knew.” Instead, her company introduced 2 cm engineered stone that looks like granite but has far superior technical specifications. “The price is higher,” she says, “but we managed to convince clients it’s the better choice, because eventually they realize that buying cheaper actually costs them double or triple in the long run — since they have to replace their materials or project solutions after two or three years, as they simply aren’t sustainable.”
The company’s operations are complemented by those of Quadra Casa Projects, which has 25 in-house employees, and the entrepreneur says this team covers their ongoing projects quite efficiently. “We carefully select the projects we take on with installation work — not the very large ones, but for those of 1,000–2,000 square meters we get involved, because our people are highly skilled and very fast in the areas they specialize in — large slabs,” she explains. “For example, we don’t do installation for 30×60 cm tiles or for residential projects where 60×60 cm tiles are still being used. And, of course, we only handle installation for projects where we supply our own products.”
Tatiana Popescu explains that Quadra Casa can handle the construction of building façades — both ventilated and, to a lesser extent, adhesive systems — and that for ventilated façades the company offers a wide range of solutions. “We can take on any large-scale project, from facades made with very large slabs to those with a natural stone effect. For example, the Millo building, located behind the Telephone Palace in the Victoriei area, was done by us. We also provide exterior flooring solutions, whether glued or floating — the latter being the option we recommend, supply, and install, including all special components — as well as everything related to outdoor spaces: gardens, pools, entrances, walkways, and so on. And when it comes to the interior of a building, we offer absolutely every type of finishing solution.”
The company, which has over 50,000 product types in its portfolio, works with renowned international suppliers, and Tatiana Popescu says that around 95% of its products are imported from Italy. The remainder comes from suppliers in Spain or China, because, as the entrepreneur explains, even in Italy highly customized, handcrafted products are no longer being made — those are now produced exclusively in China. For example, a specific decorative pattern for glass used in a bathroom is crafted by Chinese manufacturers.
Negotiating power
Seventy percent of the business comes from collaborations with developers, while the rest is generated by clients in the residential segment. Generally, for private clients, property values start at around 200,000 euros. The company’s working style is project-based, involving professional consulting, budget adaptation, the selection of suitable solutions, followed by delivery and post-delivery services. Each project typically requires the equivalent of a full workweek from a Quadra Casa team member. How many of these discussions turn into productive collaborations? The ratio is about 50/50. Some firms operate by template, focusing mainly on numbers, colors, and prices — and this is reflected in the company’s statistics: out of 100 tenders, the company wins about 20. “But I would say that clients who come to us directly never leave,” she adds. “They feel comfortable, they notice the difference in service, and the complete package we offer is accessible. When it comes to projects, our success rate is nine out of ten. We rarely lose a project.”
An additional advantage comes from Quadra Casa’s three showrooms — one located in Agora Floreasca and the other two in the Otopeni area, where the entrepreneurs own a 20,000-square-meter property. The display spaces are designed to showcase the company’s products and solutions in a tangible way, and a major competitive edge for the business is that all goods are readily available, with stock valued at around 20 million euros.
“The showroom here (in the Floreasca area) covers 1,500 square meters. This year, we opened the Otopeni showroom — a space that brings together products clients can choose and purchase on the spot, a kind of luxury cash-and-carry. We also currently have two warehouses in Otopeni. This setup allows clients to see the products firsthand and buy them immediately, since they’re in stock. The space is primarily aimed at private customers, who generally don’t work with consultants, as well as at smaller-scale projects compared to those we’ve handled over the years.”
In the entrepreneur’s view, even “small clients” include those who need, for instance, to complete 150 bathrooms in a residential project — and, as Tatiana Popescu notes, “we can handle that without any problem.” With various configurations of ceramics, sanitary ware, and other types of products required for bathroom construction and outfitting, Quadra Casa can cover the needs of more than 500 units.
Clients, developers, and architects are no longer building just “boxes”: common areas are expanding, and the range of amenities is steadily increasing.
Given that the company records double-digit annual growth in turnover, how is the number of employees increasing? Sales, it seems, are easier than recruitment. “It’s very complicated. For every open position, we always try to hire two or three people, and usually only one stays. We’ve tried all kinds of approaches — we’ve hired older candidates, thinking they might be more reliable, but they couldn’t keep up with our work pace. We’re very fast, very dynamic. We also tried hiring younger people, but they don’t have the work appetite to match our rhythm — and that’s despite the fact that our salaries are very high compared to other countries. In Italy, for example, an export manager in a finishing materials company earns around 2,000 euros. I would be thrilled to find good people for that salary,” says Tatiana Popescu.
And recruiting sales specialists from other product categories is not a viable solution. “I always say that a salesperson must know how to sell expensive products. From my experience at Quadra, every time we tried to hire colleagues who came from businesses dealing with much cheaper products, they couldn’t manage to sell ours, which are higher-priced. For me, it was relatively easy to adapt, because I was already operating at a higher level. I was already very tough in negotiations involving large sums. I had no problem shifting to price-per-square-meter or unit-value discussions. I simply implemented here the same formula my husband applies in his business in Saudi Arabia,” the entrepreneur explains. Thanks to her husband’s support in business — in terms of experience, product access, and financial resources — Tatiana Popescu says frankly that she has never faced real difficulties in business and has never encountered a situation without a solution.
Millionaire at 21
When asked about the founding of Quadra Casa, Hussein Ibrahim — who leads a group of companies operating across three continents — explains: “The real story is that when we got married, Tatiana had another job, working as an export manager for a different company. She was traveling a lot, and we decided she should quit and start something in Romania — something simple to keep her busy, considering I was always traveling, being based in Saudi Arabia.” That Middle Eastern country is, in fact, the headquarters of the businesses he manages, but his life story could easily inspire a movie script. Originally from Lebanon, he began working at a very young age — around 12 — during summer breaks, just like many other children in Taiwan, where he was living at the time. At 17, he started university in a European country he prefers not to name, and by 18 he was back to working — this time with the Chinese, but in Europe. “I studied international economics and earned a master’s degree. I worked until the age of 23, but by 21 I had made my first million dollars. At 21, I had exactly one million dollars in cash,” Hussein Ibrahim recalls. How did he achieve such success so early? Through trading activities. One of his major advantages was his ability to speak multiple languages — Chinese (“which was rare at that time”), English, French, and Arabic. “That allowed me to connect different cultures. I started as a translator, then entered partnerships and worked seasonally — in stationery, kindergarten supplies, adhesive tape, super glue, toys, lighters, and various retail products.”
At 23, freshly graduated, he returned to Lebanon and then moved to China, where he lived between 2003 and 2005. In China, he had an uncle who was an architect, studied in Italy, and owned a company there. “At that time, Italian manufacturers were beginning to produce spare parts in China. It was difficult and expensive to manufacture many brass products,” the entrepreneur explains. These included all kinds of brass components — parts for mixers, wall-mounted showers, toilets, pipes, and so on — which until then had been made in Italy and Spain. “My uncle, the architect, had been producing in Italy and brought his molds to start manufacturing in China. I lived there, helped him, and began to understand the business better — how it worked and where the products came from. When I started adopting Chinese habits — eating noodles, rice… — I said to myself, that’s it! I went back to Lebanon, where I met a friend connected to the Saudi royal family, and that’s how, in 2005, I arrived in Saudi Arabia.”
In the same year, he began doing business in the Middle East. The first step was understanding the market. “I started by studying what the market needed. I had the resources. It was mainly a market for the Chinese, Indians, and Emiratis, and we began importing Italian products to target medium-sized projects. But it was a closed country in every sense. It was very difficult to get a visa — you had to wait six months. At that time, Saudi Arabia was in black and white,” recalls Hussein Ibrahim. He says he was fortunate to become involved in the megaprojects that Saudi Arabia launched under King Abdullah in 2007. At that point, international companies, designers, and consultants began working in the country, and high standards were introduced. “We started using science, products, and expertise, and with a bit of luck, we began the renovation of areas in Mecca — a massive, ongoing project that has continued for almost 15 years. We are the main suppliers for this project. It is one of the largest projects in progress in the world, as it attracts 50 million Muslims every year,” explains Hussein Ibrahim. He estimates that his business in Saudi Arabia is now the market leader, accounting for about 35% of all imports from Italy to the country. In terms of figures, “we’re talking about hundreds of millions of euros” and roughly 950 employees.
And he estimates that in Saudi Arabia, the business he has built holds a leading position, accounting for approximately 35% of total imports from Italy to the country. In terms of figures, “we’re talking about hundreds of millions of euros” and around 950 employees.
Quadra Casa has three showrooms — one in Agora Floreasca and two in the Otopeni area, on a 20,000-square-meter property. The display spaces showcase the company’s products and solutions, while the readily available stock is valued at around 20 million euros.
When money is enough
How did he choose Romania as the country to live in? “When you’re young, you’re stubborn, you chase success, you’re much more determined — your career comes first, and ‘life’ comes second. You don’t understand certain things until you see your children grow up and you feel yourself getting older. You start repeating the same things, you reach a point where your dreams are fulfilled, and you have financial stability. That’s when the demons start to come, and your mind changes — wisdom and new decisions appear.” He decided to settle in Romania after the pandemic, which was the turning point, because during COVID he was stuck in Saudi Arabia for two years. “No one could leave, and no one could enter. Unlike Europe, which was more flexible, there the first stage was four months of complete isolation. Later, things became a bit more flexible, but the country remained closed for two years. That’s when I realized that anything can happen, even in a civilized world. My family was in one part of the world, and I was in another.” His wife and children were living in Bucharest, another part of the family was in Lebanon, and he was in Saudi Arabia. “I couldn’t leave, I couldn’t come back. If I left, I didn’t know whether I’d be accepted there, or accepted here. It was impossible to predict what would happen.” That’s when he decided it was time to move — to be close to his family, in Romania or wherever else they might have chosen to live.
The pandemic also changed the way business was done, accelerating the use of technology. “For us, meetings used to mean face-to-face meetings. If someone wanted to meet you, they’d come from another country, or you’d get on a plane and go there yourself. Then, all of a sudden, we started using Zoom and other platforms. I actually discovered Zoom a month before COVID — it was like a game for us, something fun to do with friends in Dubai. We’d get together at night just so we wouldn’t be on our phones. But I realized you can manage things remotely. Physical presence is no longer as important as it used to be. You can delegate; you can have a strong system.” He gradually implemented this new way of working, delegated responsibilities to executives and business units, and moved to Romania.
How the market is being refined
How quickly are things changing in the Romanian finishing materials market? “As we grow, we realize we’re doing things the right way. We took the risks. I believe there’s still a lot to be done — much more — but it’s a cycle. We don’t want to rush it. We’re patient and believe everything is moving in the right direction. Romanians travel, they live here and there, they see hotel rooms. They’re starting to understand what comfort means inside their own homes. Because just a few years ago, the car was more important than the house. I walk around the city and see cars that are worth more than the apartments couples live in,” says Hussein Ibrahim.
He identifies several stages in people’s behavior when it comes to presenting their personal image. “There was the phone era, then the looks era, then the car era. These kinds of expressions are part of how we show ourselves, a way to be confident, to display something. But in the end, what really matters is your comfort. You might spend three or four hours a day in your car, but at home, you and your family spend 60–70% of your time. Comfort truly matters, and we’ve now seen growing interest in diversity within the market.” He adds that in the past, demand exceeded supply, so people would buy whatever was available — especially Romanian expatriates working abroad, such as those who moved to the United States or Australia. “You travel, you leave your country to have a better life — not to stay there forever, but to buy a house, a piece of land, to build a home, to come back. No one leaves without the intention of eventually returning home. In the first wave, Romanians working abroad started buying anything available, just to have a presence. Demand was high because there are many Romanians working abroad — they’re hardworking, they earn money, and that has been reflected in this market.”
The second wave that influenced the market, the businessman explains, came when Romania began to position itself as a good country for business, attracting many international companies to establish their logistics bases or hubs there. These international firms brought in managers from European countries with high standards and high salaries, so they were looking for quality apartments. However, such options were quite limited — there were good locations, but with poor finishes — which led to a wave of renovations. “This is a normal cycle — you can see it in the food industry and in fashion as well. What holds the greatest value is your living space, but we always realize that too late. At first, we want to travel, take pictures, enjoy summer and winter holidays, go skiing, visit Dubai, Bali, the Maldives, and so on. But in the end, we always come back home. The rest are memories, and your real life is there. That’s how you truly appreciate life. The space you live in also affects your children — the space, the colors, everything shapes their mindset, their confidence, their outlook on life, their development, your wife’s well-being, and your own.”
Behavioral changes are becoming visible both among end clients and among developers and architects. In the past, everyone was building cubes and basic apartments; now it’s clear that common areas are expanding, there are more amenities, and people are adding gyms and swimming pools. “It’s a vibrant market. People travel, social media has influence, people see things and can compare development prices around the world. And you realize that when you pay 5,000 euros per square meter in Bucharest and barely get a parking space, it’s not worth it. In other world capitals, you pay the same amount and live in a high-rise building or have access to pools, gardens, various facilities, services, valet, laundry — things that didn’t exist here,” notes Hussein Ibrahim, who observes that the residential market is moving in that direction — toward the premium segment. However, he adds, Quadra Casa does not target the market for apartments priced between 60,000 and 100,000 euros, with surfaces around 60 square meters.
The company holds stock valued at around 20 million euros, but this figure isn’t fixed — it could drop to 17 million tomorrow and rise to 21 million the next day. “We try to maintain an average stock of 20 million because, in our business, the supply chain is extremely important, and product availability makes a huge difference. Many similar businesses have failed because of long delivery times. The customer comes and goes quickly — they want the product immediately; they don’t have the patience to wait three or six months. They want to go somewhere, to a store, and find everything they need. It’s similar to the mid-range market, like DIY stores — there are many of them. You can build your house, but it ends up feeling like in communist times — one product for all nations.” Hussein Ibrahim adds that at Quadra Casa, a customer can come “like at McDonald’s — you pay, you get your burger, and everyone is happy.” On the other hand, he admits that from a business perspective, this stock level is not efficient: “Ideally, stock should turn over at least twice a year, which wasn’t the case for us at the beginning. But we have the vision. I know we’ll get there. We believe in what we do, we love what we do, and we’re patient.”
Growth prospects
“As I said, the market is still very basic. There are no mixed-use projects here. The hospitality sector is also very basic — Bucharest is a European capital, the one that most recently joined Schengen. Altogether, it has only about 8,000 rooms in the five-star segment. Two flights from Dubai bringing 600 visitors would practically overwhelm the city. There’s still a lot to be done at the city level. We need to start with the airport, buses, and the train station. There are three major areas that need to be developed from scratch. Then hospitals must be developed as well,” highlights Hussein Ibrahim, outlining the key development directions he is focusing on.
In addition, he adds, Romania’s geopolitical position today is equivalent to that of Turkey 50 years ago. “The country is on NATO’s front line against Russia. It’s extremely important from a geopolitical standpoint. There should definitely be significant investments coming from NATO, from the Americans, and from all Western partners into this part of the world. There’s a lot to be done — there are no limits.”
Quadra Casa operates in a traditional way, which involves close collaboration with architects and developers and a strong investment of time — “because the most valuable factor in our business is time. We’re not a DIY store where you come, buy, and leave. We design, detail, and customize every project. Based on the project, we need time, intelligence, product selection, and technical drawings. We offer a complete solution. In the traditional business model we operate in, we can’t grow beyond the threshold of 100 million euros. By 2030, Quadra Casa should reach a turnover of 60–70 million euros,” concludes Hussein Ibrahim.
Talking with Hussein Ibrahim, Co-founder of Quadra Casa
You have businesses in this field in several countries. What is the level of the market in Romania?
After the pandemic, I started spending more time in Romania to be more present here. We began analyzing the market to see what was happening across different segments and how they had developed. Where do we stand? What is the consumer paying for? What are the standards? (I noticed that) there are no Romanian standards. In our line of business, there simply are no standards. There are American standards, Australian standards, general European standards — but no Romanian standards.
If we talk about urban planning, there should be building codes. But every developer does whatever they want, however they want. There is no defining character to the city. For example, in the area from Floreasca to Charles de Gaulle, within that triangle, you can see that the developments built after 1990 are all white and gray.
All the beautiful areas of the city are already occupied, and they fall below standards — below any standards. And the Romanian consumer is truly paying a high price, paying more than what they actually receive. So we had three directions of action, and they were all risky — everything was risky. It was a very basic market, extremely price-driven. We started applying our knowledge and experience to bring more value — to stay within the budgets that developers, builders, or consumers were willing to allocate, but to deliver more value, more options, and higher standards for the comfort of those who will live in a given space. We started with a small showroom, then expanded it to an entire floor. Here (in Agora Floreasca), we have 1,500 square meters displaying a wide variety of products. We began educating our sales consultants, clients, and partners — and we started to see results.
What are the opportunities and challenges you see in the market during this period?
The challenges are related to the fact that across Europe, spending has been redistributed among sectors, so there is less funding coming from governments, national banks, and commercial banks for construction. The focus has shifted toward the defense sector. This creates difficulties in the market in terms of cash flow and financing. It’s more challenging — but beneficial for us, because it cleans up the market. Only the strong and well-organized will remain. And we’ve designed the company to operate under any conditions. In fact, we perform better in difficult times.
What is the target for the business in Romania?
I’m not a “financial” person — we’ve already made our money. We truly love what we do. My goal is to change the mindset of developers, to help provide a better life for all the citizens of the city where we operate. I don’t want to talk about services; it’s not about products — it’s about lifestyle. It’s about the kind of lifestyle every human being deserves.
How much have you invested in Romania?
30–35 million euros.
In how many countries do you operate?
Let’s say we operate across three continents.
From Romania, do you cover only the local market?
Yes, but there are some Romanian clients who own houses or businesses in other countries, and we can serve them from here. It could be a villa in Greece, Spain, France, or Italy. However, for international business operations, we have our offices in Dubai that handle those.
How much do you travel?
Currently? Every week. In the past, almost every day. I used to travel about 180 times a year, which was quite exhausting.
If you were to start another business today, what would it be?
Medical
In Romania or somewhere else?
Anywhere, because we’re already involved in agriculture elsewhere.
Humanity needs food, education, and health. I believe healthcare is something that requires passion, dedication, and knowledge — and I see great opportunity in this field here.
If you could go back to yourself at 20 years old, what advice would you give?
I’ve had a very interesting life and enjoyed every stage of it. I’m very happy with my accomplishments. I would keep everything exactly the same — I wouldn’t change a thing.
A piece of advice for today’s young generation?
It’s complicated. It’s like asking my grandfather for advice — but back then, I didn’t want to hear it. Everyone needs to have a dream, to work on their skills, to be honest, determined, and to work hard — not just smart. Hard work is truly valued and brings results. There’s a saying, “Work smart, not hard,” but still, today we rely on people my age or older who continue to value these principles: honesty, loyalty — and only after that comes knowledge. And everyone also needs a bit of luck to succeed.
You’ve lived in many countries so far. Which one is your favorite?
This one is my favorite. For me, Romania is home — because of my wife and children. I truly feel at home here. Whenever I return, I feel calm and relaxed. I walk through the streets and I feel like I belong — even if it’s not originally mine.
I like it because it still has that “Romanian flavor.” It’s not cosmopolitan. Cities like London, Paris, or Milan have lost their distinct character. Here, you can still see traditions, and there’s an old-fashioned charm. Romanian culture still has a strong presence in the city.
Lebanon is my country — it’s part of my mind. It’s a troubled, chaotic, and unstable place at the moment.
What is your personal goal as a businessman?
In the Romanian market, in our industry, we are building the concept of fine dining at buffet prices. I believe we need to offer a complete solution. Complete solutions mean full interior arrangements — furniture, lighting, appliances, kitchens. At Quadra, you walk into a mall where you’ll find specialists offering complete solutions and immediate delivery. Fine dining without the high prices.
Talking with Tatiana Popescu, Co-founder of Quadra Casa
What type of projects do you take on in the individual client segment, and what is the price level of a property that qualifies as a Quadra Casa client?
In general, the price level of a property starts at around 200,000 euros. Most of our private clients are located in the northern part of Bucharest. We rarely work on small apartments — we only do so if they belong to clients within our circle who happen to find smaller spaces they want to renovate. Typically, we work on homes that have at least three bathrooms, meaning they are large spaces.
What type of client do you usually work with?
We try to operate through three channels: developers, end users, and a kind of distribution network. Around 70% of our business is done through developers.
What are the most important business lessons, based on your own experiences, that you’ve learned over the years?
The most important thing in my relationship with clients is to respond as quickly as possible, no matter what the answer is. There were situations where I avoided replying right away, delayed my response a little, and later realized that wasn’t the best approach — it took me more time to resolve the situation, even if the final outcome was fine and everyone was happy. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s always better to respond immediately. Clients — at least the ones we work with — value honesty, directness, and receiving clear, prompt information.
What challenges have you faced in entrepreneurship?
What I find very difficult is that I work a lot — but I’ve never faced a situation without a way out. I can’t complain; I haven’t really had hardships. On top of that, I can always rely on my husband and count on his support. If I tell him today that I need 10,000 square meters of a certain type of material to be delivered next week, he makes it happen. Or if I tell him today that I need 500,000 euros by tomorrow, it’s taken care of. These are probably some of the reasons why we’ve achieved so much in such a short time in terms of the company’s development — because he has helped me solve every situation.
I always say that a salesperson must know how to sell expensive products. From my experience at Quadra, every time we tried to hire colleagues who came from businesses with much cheaper products, they weren’t able to sell ours, which are higher-priced. For me, it was relatively easy to adapt because I was already operating at a high level — I used to negotiate large amounts before.
Tatiana Popescu, Co-founder of Quadra Casa
In our field, when you place an order with a factory, even if you have a very good relationship with your partners, they have fixed production schedules. However, Hussein, being such a major client for most factories, has his own production days — he decides what gets produced, when, and in what quantity. That has helped me tremendously. This means that when I go into negotiations and a two-week delivery time is requested, I can fulfill the order. Otherwise, with a normal relationship with the factory, you’d have to wait for the next production cycle, which might be in 45 days or even two months. This gives me a major advantage over other companies. Additionally, the product price also differs, because a client who needs just a few large slabs would normally have to pay a higher amount elsewhere. At Quadra Casa, they can buy the products directly from stock, with premium quality guaranteed by the manufacturer.
Compared to our competitors, we can offer lower prices because we’ve optimized the entire supply chain. Our trucks operate at full load capacity, and the pallets are complete — which is also important because with smaller shipments, there’s a higher risk of product damage.
We work only with factories that have ongoing production models — I never buy end-of-stock items. This way, if a client needs a specific product years after completing their project, they can still find the exact same product with us. Some companies on the local market have chosen to import second-grade goods — for years, Romania was treated and seen as a market for products that weren’t premium or even standard quality. Often, items that had already gone out of production elsewhere ended up being sold here.
If it hadn’t been in the interior design and finishing field, what other kind of business would you have liked to build?
I think it would have been in the world of fashion, though I couldn’t say exactly what. I love beauty, and I believe that if it hadn’t been design, architecture, or interior decor, it definitely would have been something related to fashion.
What advice would you give to young people who are just starting out?
I don’t think I’m really in a position to give advice to young people. But to my daughter, who is 16 and has started working at Quadra, I try to give advice every day. One piece of advice is to take life a bit more seriously and not believe that everything that looks appealing is good for you. Kids today have a very easy life, because we, as parents — our generation and those older than us — have tried to give our children every possible comfort; they’ve never lacked anything. They’re not hungry — neither literally nor figuratively — and they don’t have clear goals in life. When I “opened my eyes,” when I realized who I was, I already knew that I wanted to own a home by the time I was 22. And at 21, I bought my first house. I had very clear, well-defined goals — for myself, not to prove anything to others. Young people today don’t seem to have that mindset of setting goals for themselves.