Optimo is a Belgrade-based company specialising in high-quality sleep systems, including mattresses, bed bases, ergonomic pillows, toppers, and bedroom furniture. The company distributes products known for their ergonomic design and premium materials, with roots in European manufacturing and decades of tradition in sleep comfort.
Optimo is one of the first projects where I worked both as a designer and a developer. It was a big step forward for me because it was the moment I realised I could actually build the things I had imagined and designed. Looking back at it now, I can see its age in some details, but I'm still happy with how well it has held up over time.
The website was built using Balon, a page builder created by Fluena that was still in development at the time. Like any page builder, it came with its own constraints, so balancing the client's needs, my design vision, and the technical limitations required a lot of problem-solving. To achieve the intended look and functionality, I developed custom components and wrote a substantial amount of CSS to push the platform beyond its out-of-the-box capabilities.
I worked closely with the client throughout the process, helping them translate their ideas into a visual language that truly reflected their brand. They wanted the experience to feel cozy and dreamy, so I leaned into soft cloud motifs, hazy gradients, and blurred shapes to create a sense of calm and warmth throughout the site. While isolating every product was a pain to do, it turned out well and created a nice floating feeling.
For most sections, I explored ways to adapt and stylise Balon's existing components to fit the visual direction. However, the variety of products introduced additional complexity. I needed to create a clear categorisation system while also accommodating different product sizes and pricing structures in a way that remained easy to navigate.
Collaborating with Fluena's team on custom components was a unique experience. It gave me a deeper understanding of how a platform built around reusable, general-purpose components works behind the scenes, how each piece needs enough flexibility to solve different problems while still fitting cohesively into a larger system. Throughout that process, I learned Vanilla JavaScript, and it's still my go-to language today.
