From Queue to Creation: Poland’s Design Response to Waiting

moda_polska_kolejka_forum-0428164265.jpg, default, Queue in front of the 'Moda Polska' clothing store in Wrocław, 1982, photo: Chris Niedenthal/Forum

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The waiting game. We have all experienced waiting – whether for a doctor’s appointment, a test result or an important event. But waiting is more than simply the passage of time. It carries deep social, cultural and political implications that are experienced differently by each person.

Waiting is constant, and Poles know this feeling all too well. In the early 20th century, they waited for Poland to regain its independence; soon after, they waited for the wars to end. Under the Polish People’s Republic, waiting became an everyday condition as people waited for necessities such as food, housing and consumer goods. After 1989, during the transition to democracy, the country waited for integration with the West and for improvements in its economic situation.

Today, in a world filled with uncertainty, we continue to wait for what comes next, for the unexpected. Throughout these periods, Poles have always been ‘waiting in a queue’, patiently anticipating their turn. Yet these prolonged moments of waiting have also sparked creativity and resourcefulness, giving rise to ideas and products born of necessity.

Pre-1918 – waiting to become an independent nation

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'Villa 'Koliba', designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz; source: The Dr. Tytus Chałubiński Tatra Museum in Zakopane; photo: Marek Skorupski/Forum

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Until the late 19th century, Poland, unlike many other European countries, cannot be said to have had its own national style. This was largely due to the political struggles the country faced, most notably the partitions by Russia, Prussia and Austria beginning in 1772. Folk arts and crafts became the primary source of inspiration for the development of a Polish national style, as they were seen as untouched by modernisation and industrialisation and therefore were reflective of authentic Polish values.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several significant events, artistic movements and institutions helped shape this emerging identity. One of the most important was the Zakopane Style, created in the 1890s by Stanisław Witkiewicz. It was the first fully formed Polish national style, producing tangible objects designed to express Polish cultural identity.

Drawing from the peasant culture of the Podhale region, near the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland, the Zakopane Style relied heavily on wood and incorporated references to local folk arts and crafts. By applying folk motifs to new forms and reimagining the functions of traditional objects, the Zakopane Style created designs that remained rooted in regional heritage while clearly reinforcing and protecting Polish visual identity in the partitioned lands. At the same time, these reinterpreted objects became relevant and meaningful to contemporary users.

War time – waiting for peace

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Model-Press printing machine (known as a 'bostonka'); photo: The Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek

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Poland’s unfavourable geographical location has often left it to be caught in the middle of conflicts, and this was especially true during the First and Second World Wars, when the country was devastated and millions of lives were lost.

While waiting for peace, Poles developed cultural and practical innovations as ways of dealing with survival. Improvised radios and communication devices were made from scrap materials to stay informed under occupation. Temporary radio stations, especially during the Warsaw Uprising, would broadcast announcements. Makeshift heaters were built during harsh winters because coal and wood were often scarce for heating homes or cooking food.

Waiting for liberation or news of loved ones also inspired creative cultural responses. People wrote, printed and distributed underground newspapers, poems and books. The term ‘bibuła’ (lit. ‘tissue paper’) referred to clandestinely printed secret magazines, pamphlets and leaflets, which were hand delivered or hidden in public places for people in the know to find. These publications informed citizens, spread political ideas and boosted morale during difficult times.

Everyday life required ingenuity as well. Shortages and rationing led people to make homemade medicines and hygienic products. Clothing was repaired, repurposed or recycled, and knitting and sewing became essential skills. Simple devices, stoves, lamps and cooking implements were often re-engineered from scrap metal or wood. These innovations demonstrated how waiting for peace fostered resourcefulness and cleverness.

Polish People’s Republic – waiting for homes, food & goods

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Queue in front of a meat shop at the corner of Świętokrzyska and Bagno Streets in Warsaw, 1981, photo: Grażyna/National Digital Archives (NAC)

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During the Polish People’s Republic, equality existed in theory, but in reality, some people were more equal than others. Certain groups, such as builders, the army and government officials, had higher social standing and therefore enjoyed privileges and priority in areas such as buying flats, obtaining goods and securing appointments – for example, with doctors.

This prioritisation significantly extended waiting times for ordinary people. Acquiring a flat could take over ten years, while furniture was difficult to obtain, often being made for display only, arriving broken in shops or simply not being available. In the food industry, shortages gave rise to so-called ‘under-the-counter’ trade – an unofficial market for goods that were scarce due to rationing.

While this environment of constant waiting encouraged black-market dealings, it also forced people to make do with what they had. Ordinary citizens became resourceful, creating DIY projects, such as those appearing in Western magazines. Aspirational images of Western celebrities, fashions or lifestyles were often cut out and used as inspiration. Since Western goods were difficult to obtain, people repurposed such everyday items as empty Coca-Cola cans to create objects for the home that symbolised something rare and luxurious.

These periods of scarcity fostered creativity and ingenuity as people adapted to limited resources while waiting for better times.

Post-1989 – waiting for integration with the West & economic stability

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The first IKEA furniture store, Ursynów, Warsaw, 1990, photo: Tomasz Wierzejski/AW

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The year 1989 marked the beginning of a period of profound change as Poland began its transition from socialism to democracy. With borders opening, Eastern and Central European markets were quickly flooded with Western brands, ideas and products, leading to the gradual disappearance of socialist material culture. For example, IKEA opened its first store in Poland in 1990, transforming the furniture market and offering an alternative to what was available before. Alongside the long-awaited arrival of Western goods, a wave of new Polish companies also emerged.

More importantly, the 1990s brought significant investment, including machinery, technology and design, into Polish industries, primarily from foreign capital. Modernisation, privatisation and the adoption of new technologies reshaped the economy in response to globalisation and shifting market demands. Many Polish industries expanded rapidly during this time, producing goods for export and strengthening Poland’s position in international markets. For example, the Polish furniture industry grew dynamically, creating as much as 80% of its stock for export. Fiat continued to manufacture some of its cars in Poland and thus contributed to the growth of the country’s automotive industry, while the food and agriculture sectors also expanded by increasing production and exports to EU markets.

New millennium – waiting for new opportunities

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Maja Ganszyniec, 'UME', Comforty, photo courtesy of the designer

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The new millennium brought a wave of new Polish designers and studios. With the ability to travel freely, a younger generation gained opportunities to study abroad, thereby enriching the country’s design landscape. The early 2000s and 2010s saw the emergence of figures such as Tomasz Rygalik, Maja Ganszyniec and Oskar Zięta.

Rygalik studied architecture at the Technical University in Łódź and completed a degree in industrial design at the Pratt Institute in New York. He earned his MA from the Royal College of Art in London in 2005. He has since collaborated with major international brands, including Moroso, IKEA and Siemens, and serves as the creative director of such leading Polish furniture companies as Comforty.

Ganszyniec studied interior architecture in Kraków and Milan and graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2008. She founded her own studio in 2013 and has collaborated with companies including IKEA, Noti and Ceramika Paradyż.

Zięta graduated from ETH Zurich and later invented the revolutionary FIDU method (Freie Innen Druck Umformung [Free Internal Pressure Transformation]), which allows metal to be inflated. This technique led to the creation of his iconic Plopp stool, now held in collections such as the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein and the National Museum in Warsaw.

This generation of designers, still active today, continues to seize opportunities to present their work internationally, thus globalising Polish design and expanding the presence of Polish creativity across events, institutions and publications.

In recent years, the notion of waiting has been revisited by the curators of Poland’s presentation at the 2025 London Design Biennale. Responding to the theme Surface Reflections, the curatorial team of Jakub Gawkowski, Monika Rosińska and Maciej Siuda created Records of Waiting, an installation drawing on the woodcarving traditions of Poland’s mountain regions. The project visualises the experience of waiting and the inequalities embedded in it. The international jury recognised its thoughtful examination of time and waiting by awarding the Theme Medal to the exhibition.

No matter what Poles were waiting for, whether necessities such as food or better opportunities, they have always found ways to create things that are not only worth remembering but are often worth celebrating. Their resourcefulness and creative abilities supported collaboration both locally and internationally, thus building connections between Poland and the wider world.

Written by Wiktoria Kijowska

Language English

polish people's republic