DAE Studio: The Tbilisi Souvenir Shop That Isn't Really a Souvenir Shop
If you've typed "hidden gems in Tbilisi" or "unique souvenirs in Georgia" into a search bar while planning your trip, you've probably scrolled past a dozen lists of the same wine cellars and chacha tastings. Great experiences, but what about something you can actually bring home? Something that isn't a shot glass with "I ❤️ Georgia" printed on it?
That's where DAE Studio comes in.
What Is DAE, Exactly?
DAE isn't a typical gift shop and it isn't a typical art gallery either - it's something in between. Based in Tbilisi, DAE is best described as a platform for artists that also creates its own line of products. The studio partners with Georgian and international illustrators, painters and designers, then turns their artwork into things you can actually live with: posters, scarves, tablecloths, restored furniture and hand-painted originals. On top of that, the DAE team hand-builds their own handmade lamps in-studio.
In short: instead of buying a print of someone's art online, you're bringing home a physical piece of it - designed by an artist, made in Tbilisi, and impossible to find anywhere else.
The Signature Piece: Velvet Posters
The product tourists keep coming back for right now is DAE's velvet poster and once you see one, it's easy to understand why.
A velvet poster is framed exactly like a traditional paper print, but the material is textile instead of paper. That one shift changes everything: the colors sit deeper and richer, the texture feels more like a piece of fabric art than a mass-produced print and practically speaking - it's washable and far more durable for travel than paper ever could be. For a visitor trying to pack art in a suitcase without worrying about creased corners or moisture damage, that durability alone makes it a smarter souvenir.
It's a poster, reimagined - and it's currently one of the most popular items in the studio.
More Than Posters: A Full World of Art You Can Use
Once you look past the posters, DAE's catalog reads like a small design museum you're allowed to shop from:
- Posters - illustrated works from DAE's roster of Georgian and international artists, sorted by room (bedroom, living space, kitchen, kids' rooms, workspace) so you can actually picture where yours would hang.
- Scarves - wearable art. Illustrations from DAE's artists printed onto silk scarves that double as a headscarf, a bag accessory, or simply a wall piece back home.
- Tablecloths - for the traveler who wants their souvenir to show up every time they host dinner.
- Furniture - this is where DAE gets genuinely unusual. The studio takes vintage and secondhand furniture and gives it "a second life," reworking and restoring pieces in collaboration with artists so each one becomes a one-of-a-kind object rather than a copy.
- Handmade wooden lamps - built by the DAE studio itself, blending simple wood forms with metal detailing.
- Paintings - original, hand-painted works for anyone who wants to take home something that exists in exactly one copy, forever.
Why It Matters That the Artists Are Georgian (and International)
Part of what makes DAE worth seeking out is the story behind the shelf. The studio actively collaborates with Georgian artists alongside international illustrators, which means a piece you pick up in Tbilisi might carry the perspective of a local Georgian creator - or a European illustrator who chose to work with a Tbilisi-based studio. Either way, it's a genuine collaboration, not a factory print run. Buying from DAE means your money supports working artists directly, not a generic souvenir supply chain.
If you like knowing the "why" behind what you buy, that's the appeal: every poster, scarf, or restored chair has a name and a story attached to it.
Why Tourists Are Adding DAE to Their Tbilisi Itinerary
Tbilisi's old streets are full of small ceramic stalls and wine shops - lovely, but predictable. DAE offers a different kind of souvenir hunt: contemporary, design-forward and genuinely useful once you're back home. It answers a question a lot of travelers quietly have - "how do I bring back something from Georgia that will actually look good in my apartment?" - with an answer that isn't a magnet.
It also works well as a gift shop stop: scarves and smaller posters travel easily, fit in hand luggage and read as thoughtful (rather than obligatory) gifts for anyone back home who appreciates design.
Good to Know Before You Go
- Instagram: @_daestudio - the best place to see new drops, artist collaborations and behind-the-scenes shots of the lamp and furniture restoration process.
- Shop online: dae.ge ships worldwide, so if you fall in love with a piece but don't have suitcase room, you can still take it home.
- Ask before you go: DAE regularly rotates artist collaborations and limited-edition posters, so it's worth checking Instagram shortly before your visit to see what's currently in the studio.
The Takeaway
If your idea of a good souvenir is something you'll actually hang on a wall, wear, or use at dinner five years from now - not something that ends up in a drawer - DAE Studio is worth building into your Tbilisi plans. It's part gallery, part design shop, part artist platform, and entirely one of the more interesting places to shop in the city.
Planning a Tbilisi trip? Follow @_daestudio on Instagram or browse the full collection at dae.ge before you land.