Gosia Kotyczka of OBIEKTY STUDIO has created a space that is not so much ‘to look’ as to act – to respond to the user, to stimulate her senses, to co-create her daily rhythm. In Grochów, Warsaw, she designed a flat in which every material, colour and line are conscious choices, responding to the needs of the occupant.
In less than fifty square metres, three distinct zones have been planned: an open-plan living room with a dining area, kitchen and small work area, a bathroom separated by a wall of glass blocks, and an intimate bedroom. The design draws on postmodern expression, with light-hearted references to Memphis aesthetics, smuggling in echoes of retro futurism and subtle references to the Bauhaus. However, it is not a collage of styles, but an authorial composition. Kotyczka emphasises that she was keen to create an interior that is not afraid of being expressive and which – rather than calming – stimulates creativity.
Applause for the details!
Mirrors in the kitchen, structured glass, chrome details, steel fronts – all these surfaces reflect, refract and multiply light. They are active, react to movement, change with the time of day. The colours enter into dialogue with them: deep reds and electrifying blues, which pulsate against the steel cabinets and the metallic base of the oval table. The furniture, although rooted in 1980s aesthetics, was chosen not for its style but for the energy of its form. The Togo sofa from Ligne Roset (we wrote more about this iconic sofa HERE), the Rey 3300 chairs by Bruno Rey, the Pixi armchairs by Gillis Lundgren or the Picco the Finder glass table on a massive red sphere – all have a sculptural character, they are design icons. As are the colourful totems from Totem Studio Warsaw, which bring rhythm and a slightly humorous vibe to the interior.
The motif of movement recurs in the corridor, where Irma Tylor’s work ‘Paris is burning II’, inspired by the body and its expression, hangs. This is a foreshadowing of what happens next – because the real centre of the flat is the mural in the living room. Designed by the owner, who works professionally in the technology industry and privately in dance and movement pedagogy. Abstract silhouettes in reds and blues, reduced to spots and contours, are arranged in a dynamic composition evoking associations with 1980s expression and the work of Keith Haring.
An invitation to dance
Another strong accent appears in the bathroom – a mosaic depicting a red figure in dance, inspired by Matisse’s ‘Dance’. It was created in collaboration with the Truf!e manufactory from Katowice. The body becomes the protagonist of the space. The natural light streaming in through the luxurrays draws reflections on the walls, which change with the rhythm of the day, turning the shower into a light and space installation.
The bedroom contrasts with the expressiveness of the living area. Lined with warm wood, it resembles the interior of a resonating box. A low-set bed occupies the entire width of the room, while soft light settles on panels of green and cream striped velvet. Vertical mirrors gently enlarge the space and diffuse the light, creating an atmosphere conducive to tranquillity.
The entire space is held together by an intense floor in a shade of Kleinian blue – monochromatic, saturated, evoking associations with water and its changeability. It organises the space, gives it fluidity and introduces an impression of constant movement.
The owner – who combines the worlds of business and technology professionally – has been developing a passion for dance, dance theatre and body work for years. The interior, which she created together with Gosia Kotyczka, is an extension of this passion. It is a space that not only serves life, but interprets it.
design: Gosia Kotyczka OBIEKTY STUDIO
photos: RESOURCES STUDIO
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