Nowadays, Poland is having a strong position and a bright future in the design world. Inspired by its history, le polish design is characterized by the fixture between handcraft and modern technologies.
We will have to wait until the 90’s to finally discover the polish design. Since then, furniture was just used as a functional product. Although great designers were active at that period, the design products couldn’t cross the borders because of the political situation of the country.
However, the twenty’s century will be marked by some creations becoming strong icons and will project the polish design on the international scene.
Josef Chierowski is one of the polish designers that had marked the twenty-century. Especially is armchair 366. Because of the political situation in Poland at this time, the armchair had to wait 2014 when a startup (named Concept 366) bought the production to see Josef Chierowski’s creation back in our interiors. Today, more than 500 000 armchairs have been sold all around the world.
Other great designers from the twenty-century that can be mentioned dis Roman Modzelewski. He designed an organic glass fiber chair in 1958. Le Corbusier himself tried to buy the production in 1961 to produce the chair in large quantities but without any success.
The polish design has always been characterized by the use of simple materials as wood or ceramic.
According to Pawel Grobelny, (known designer and exhibition curator of « Unpolished », 2011), the polish design can be defined as « something-coming-from-nothing ».
This will of maintaining a link with the history of Poland didn’t prevent polish artists to evolve with their time, and include modern manufacturing process in their creative path.
The artist-designer Madga Jurek is a perfect illustration of this new generation of designers. Her studio, based in Warsaw, is named Pani Jurek. Her collection of ceramic lightings, called TRN, is very colorful. The pendant lamp goes beyond its normal use and basic function: each lamp can be associated to an other one, creating a contemporary, unique piece. Those lightings TRN have been inspired by the polish artist Jan Tarasin and represent symbols and signs.
Pani Jurek creates and produces more than pendant lamps.
Indeed, the studio also produces furniture and mirrors using traditional techniques of cabinet making.
The studio Pani Jurek can be defined with its use of simple materials as ceramic (TRN pendant lamps) or massive oak (furniture and mirrors).
The originality and singularity of Pani Jurek creations is also in the way of producing items: each pendant lamps TRN, as the furniture and mirrors, are handcrafted and offer every time a unique piece.
Despite the crest on her popularity, Magda Jurek supports the local design through her association « Based in Warsaw » promoting and supporting social and public areas design.
Pani Jurek is definitely having a bright future!
(You can find all the TRN lighting’s collection on Savannah Bay Gallery: https://www.savannah-bay.com/en/cat/design-en/pani-jurek-en/)
New technologies made their way in the polish design world despite the strong position of handcraft. The innovation in the design’s world gives to studio using it, a unique way of producing items.
The polish studio Zieta is a good example of this modernity. It might be the most known polish studio outside the polish borders.
Oskar Zieta created Zieta Prozessdesign with his sister Maja; and the studio is based in the city of Wroclaw.
Ahead of its time, the studio Zieta is halfway between design and engineering.
Oskar Zieta designs items using a special technology developed between the wall of the studio: the FIDU technology (that has been patent by Oskar Zieta). Two laser-cut metal sheets are first welded together before air is injected between them until they separate from each other forming a three-dimensional object.
The studio Zieta creates furniture as chairs, stools, tables and mirrors: all produced using the FIDU technology.
This collection of mirrors Tafla, signed by Zieta, include a wide variety of formats (size and shape) : the Tafla « O » are having a round shape (looking quite like a water drop) while the Tafla « C » have more a angular shape. The Tafla « Q » are most of them rectangular even two references are perfectly round.
The mirrors Tafla can also be associated to create a set looking like a « puzzle ».
More recently, the studio Zieta as been developing an other collection of mirrors called Rondo, including a large range of incredible colors (Radient and Heat collection), finish and sizes.
But the more fascinating thing about Oskar Zieta is that some of his creations are literally works of art.
Find out the collection of mirrors Tafla and Rondo, signed by Zieta on https://www.savannah-bay.com/en/tag/tafla-zieta-prozessdesign-en/!
This is the case for the Plopp stools. Those stools, produced with the FIDU technology are display in several museums across the world.
You can see the Plopp stools signed by the studio Zieta at the Museum Pompidou in Paris, the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art) in New York or also in Italy, Switzerland and of course Poland.
Oskar Zieta and his studio Zieta are definitely the ambassadors of the contemporary polish design all over the world.
All the creations from the polish studio Zieta are available on https://www.savannah-bay.com/en/cat/design-en/zieta-prozessdesign-en/#shop !
As we explained it previously, actors and associations have a common goal: promote the polish design across the world.
The public discovered the new generation of polish designers thanks to the exhibition « Unpolished » in 2011.
The Lodz Design Festival is probably the most relevant and significant design event in the East-Central Europe. Each year, thousands of visitors are coming to discover the last trends in design, polish designers and architects.
We can also mention the Institute of Adam Mickiewick created to promote the polish language and culture all around the world.
Exhibitions, fairs, associations promoting polish art and polish culture are spreading those last years.
The interest of the design coming from Poland can be illustrated as well by the presence of the Plopp stools signed by Zieta in museums around the world.
A bright future lays ahead …
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