Into the Woods: Wooden Design from Poland
Timber! Many Polish designers today are turning back to traditional manufacturing techniques and the use of natural resources. This organic material, with its beautiful colours and warmth, is a perfect match for every interior. Culture.pl takes a look at wood in contemporary Polish design.
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Paweł Jasiewicz, Lightbuoy lamps, photo: Jan Lutyk
With a background in furniture design from Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe, UK and industrial design at the Koszalin University of Technology in Poland, in 2009, Paweł Jasiewicz co-founded the Kompott Studio together with Maja Ganszyniec and Krystian Kowalski.
Wood is his favourite material to work with, which he sometimes combines with metal to create earthy pieces with a contemporary edge. His works range from whimsical lamps to a hotel chain for bees – created at the behest of Greenpeace.
Szpunar Studio
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Prop family chairs designed for Paged by Nikodem Szpunar and Kamila Niedzwiedzka (Szpunar Studio), 2014, photo: Ernest Wińczyk
The works of Szpunar Studio, meaning the duo of Nikodem Szpunar and Kamila Niedzwiedzka, have been described as having a ‘certain lightness and airiness’ to them. Made of natural materials and designed as simple, unornamented shapes, they often take their inspiration from the past, in the process, recycling the best of the old guard and giving it a new twist.
One telling example is the Bastard armchair, which was put together using old pieces of furniture – something old creating something entirely new.
Wojciech Bajor
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Ellipse car, photo: courtesy of Bajo
When designing for kids, health and safety are at the top of the checklist. Bajo's toys check all the boxes, plus they've got the fine lines of a well-designed product. Since Wojciech Bajor started the Bajo company in 1989, he's designed and produced more than 500 different toys –all made of quality wood.
Characterised by their smooth, rounded shapes, his toys were developed in cooperation with a team of experts in child development, making them fun, safe and educational. Bajor's eye for small-scale design continues to garner notice and commissions. His toys are sold in 35 countries all over the world.
Giewont Studio
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Wooden bowls, designed by Giewont Studio, phoyo: courtesy of the designer
Giewont Studio is a one-man initiative founded by Maciej Gąsienica-Giewont, an artist from the Podhale region in the south of Poland, who claims wood can talk and he's its most adept listener. Inspired by the work of American artist and wood turner James Prestini of the 1930s, he rediscovered a centuries-old woodturning technique.
He creates unique bowls and vases that go with the grain and natural patterns of oak, cherry and elm. He limits his artistic interference to a minimum, using no ornamentation, instead highlighting the natural qualities and texture of the material itself.
Malafor
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Malafor, 'Full Fire Trunks', colour variation of the classic was achieved by using the most appropriate woodworking process - burning., photo: courtesy of the artists
Malafor's designs are always simple in form and environmentally friendly – and they always make a statement. Agata Kulik-Pomorska and Paweł Pomorski have also toyed with the number of possibilities offered by an ordinary block of wood, which resulted in one of their best-known projects, Trunks (2005) – a series of raw wooden stumps dressed up with metal or paint.
Second Life (2009) took everyday tools and gave them a new purpose, such as the shovel adopted as a backrest, perfect for sitting at the beach, while their Blow Sofa was made out of inflated recycled paper bags.
WITAMINA D
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'1/2 Stool', designed by Małgorzata Knobloch, Igor Wiktorowicz / Witamina D Projekt, photo: courtesy of the designer
WITAMINA D Projekt is a design studio founded by two Polish designers, Malgorzata Knobloch and Igor Wiktorowicz. Together they wanted to create ‘durable, simple and beautiful things’. They call what they do ‘slow design’, focussing on the use of local materials and local and small scale production.
Their favourite material to work with is solid oak wood because of its beautiful grain, warm colour and its ‘nobility’. Their ½ Stool is a great example of their work, showcasing how they work with wood and combine it with other materials.
POOREX
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Bartosz Mucha, Sink Car, photo courtesy of the designer
Bartek Mucha is the founder of his own one man-studio POOREX. He is definitely not a typical designer – he doesn’t pay much attention to whether his designs can actually be manufactured or even used. His work is on the border of art and design – what’s important to Mucha is more the conceptual and experimental thinking about design.
Mucha’s POOR TOYS are a set of toy cars made out of beech wood. But these aren’t just any toy cars. Each one is combined with a common household item: the Peg Car is a tow truck with a large clothes pin instead of a hook; the Brush Car is a limousine-scrub brush; and the Sink Car is a suction cup tow truck. His toys can be used both for play and for everyday chores. An unusual combination of business and pleasure.
HOP Design
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TOTEM lamp, designed by Kinga Chmielarz, produced by HOP Design, photo: Łódź Design Festival
HOP Design is a studio created by Kinga Chmielarz and Konrad Hulak. Their main focus is creating durable products using natural materials – all of their designs are environmentally friendly.
Their TOTEM lamps are made of wooden elements, made by hand from turned beech wood and hand-painted with clear varnish, which ensures the highest quality. The contrast of the light natural wood and the colourful cable makes the lamps unforgettable.
Written by Nitzan Reisner, May 2019
Sources: culture.pl, own materials
Tytuł (nagłówek do zdjęcia)
Discover 100 Years
of Polish Design
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