This 48-square-metre flat in Warsaw’s Śródmieście district has been created at the intersection of several realms: art and function, geometry and organic form. It is a dialogue between icons of global design and pieces by Polish designers and brands. Situated on the ground floor of a modern infill building, with access to a terrace, it makes no attempt to masquerade as a neutral city flat. On the contrary – from the very first glance, it reveals its theatrical, almost gallery-like character. Gosia Kotyczka, founder of OBIEKTY STUDIO, is responsible for the design.
The flat is owned by Kamil Zieliński, creator of the Górna Półka, Upper Half and Zieliński Interior brands (we recently wrote about the opening of the Górna Półka and Upper Half showrooms HERE). Right from the start of the design process, the aim was to create, together, an interior full of Polish design and original pieces. The flat was to become not only a private living space for the owner, but also a kind of artistic landmark on the map of Warsaw – a place where Polish brands and the works of contemporary artists engage in a dialogue with the classics of world design.
The design features pieces from brands such as Górna Półka, Zieta Studio, Nobonobo, Puff Buff, Embassy Interiors, Ciarko, Trufle Mozaiki, Omnires, Kalmar, TUDI, Ceramics 36. Together, they form a coherent composition in which furniture, paintings, veneer, fabric and light function as equal elements of a spatial jigsaw puzzle. The flat can be read like a board on which bright, contrasting furniture and geometric forms not only organise the functional layout but also divide the space into successive scenes. However, this is no random collage. The design is based on a precisely controlled scenography in which every object has its place, weight and direction of influence.
Entrance
Even in the entrance area, it is clear that the space is not laid out in an obvious way. Mirrors, a double-sided wardrobe and geometric forms divide the flat into zones, but do not enclose it definitively. What could have been a cramped corridor becomes a sequence of reflections, openings and shifts. The individual forms act as elements of the scenography: they frame the views and guide the eye further, towards the living room.
Murals by Karol Gawroński – a Polish painter and graphic artist – appear on the entrance wall and the door. Karol’s intense line breaks up the smoothness of the surfaces and introduces a personal, almost performative tone to the entire flat. Here, the drawing is not a hanging picture, but an intervention directly inscribed into the interior architecture.
The beige microcement flooring creates a calm, uniform base against which the furniture and objects stand out more strongly. Its smooth, almost mineral surface brings order to the whole, whilst allowing more expressive elements to be highlighted. In this area, the Hedera console table by Embassy Interiors plays a special role – aluminium, asymmetrical, with an irregular line, balancing between the function of a piece of furniture and a sculptural object. Its cool sheen harmonises well with the mirrors and the surface-mounted electrical wiring, which, rather than being concealed, becomes a graphic metal line running across the ceiling.
Bedroom
The bedroom has been set apart but not cut off from the rest of the flat. Its boundaries are soft and ambiguous: they are defined by a double-sided wardrobe accessible from both the room and the hallway, and a geometric partition with a view of the living room. Thanks to this, the small space retains its intimacy without losing contact with the light and rhythm of the entire flat.
Above the bed hangs a mural by Karol Gawroński – an expressive, sketch-like head that immediately changes the scale of the small bedroom. It acts as a powerful graphic statement – a monumental portrait transferred onto the wall of a private room. Set against the stark concrete ceiling and soft burgundy bedding, the mural creates a tension between tranquillity and the expressiveness of a grand painterly gesture.
The bedroom furnishings are provided by the Górna Półka brand. The Aria bed, with its striking headboard, is finished in ALPI veneer according to a design by Ettore Sottsass. Its contrasting pattern introduces a vibrant, almost painterly surface into the interior, which corresponds with the mural but remains more decorative and functional. The colour scheme is complemented by Górna Półka’s occasional furniture: the Londo table and a bedside table from the latest Aska collection.
The bedroom interior is warmed by a hand-woven wool blanket, whose rhythmic, colourful pattern evokes associations with geometric abstraction. Its soft, shaggy texture contrasts with the cool stainless steel of the wardrobe and the starkness of the ceiling. Next to it stands the Kalmar Tubes Milano ceramic radiator, whose form transcends its technical function to become a sculptural element of the design. Its presence reinforces the character of the bedroom as a space where function and objectivity constantly intertwine.
Living room
The living room is the most open part of the flat, but also the place with the greatest concentration of forms. It is here that the idea of the interior as a stage for objects is most evident. The individual pieces of furniture do not form a neat set, but rather an arrangement of independent personalities.
The window wall is draped in Dekoma curtains in three shades, creating a subtle ombre effect. The fabrics soften the concrete structure of the flat, filtering the light and adding fluidity to the interior. Their delicacy contrasts with the bold pattern of the partition finished with unique ALPI Maritime Pine veneer designed by Kengo Kuma. The decor, inspired by the texture of coastal pine bark, has an organic yet highly graphic character. Its irregular, cracked pattern brings depth to the living room and an almost forest-like, ‘jungle’ intensity.
This same partition not only separates the living area from the bedroom but also maintains a visual dialogue between them. A glazed cut-out in its structure frames the view of the mural in the bedroom and allows light to flow freely between the rooms. Thanks to this, the division of space does not stifle the flat. It is more of a filter than a wall – an element that both separates and showcases.
The living room also features a restored Maralunga sofa, whose fabric softly echoes the warm, brown composition of the veneer and curtains. This more atmospheric arrangement is broken up by the LOZY floor lamp. The repetition of this model in the bedroom acts as a subtle rhythm linking the two zones.
Solid wood turned tables by Górna Półka stand on a hand-woven wool rug. Their casual arrangement adds dynamism to the seating area and reinforces the impression that the living room is not so much a classic set of furniture as a living composition. An icon of global design and contemporary Polish design appear side by side: the Pollock Armchair, designed by Charles Pollock in 1960 for Vitra, and the Parfait armchair by Nobonobo. The former brings graphic discipline, precision of line and the elegance of a modernist object to the interior. The second, more substantial and softer, balances it with the physicality of its form. Together, they create a dialogue between structure and comfort, between classicism and a contemporary interpretation of relaxation.
One of the key motifs throughout the flat is the horizontal built-in unit stretching from the living room all the way to the kitchen. It is a multifunctional piece of furniture, a storage unit, a backdrop for art and the compositional backbone of the space. Zieliński Interior was responsible for crafting the bespoke furniture, ensuring the units were precisely tailored to the apartment’s layout and its theatrical character. The fronts feature prints taken from fragments of Karol Gawroński’s works, alongside decorative ALPI veneers. In the living room area, the fitted units include a module with a concealed television, based on the PEKA Hawa pocket door system. When closed, the equipment disappears, and the front, featuring a print inspired by the painting “I am the best”, becomes part of a large, painterly surface.
A subtle animal motif also recurs in this part of the interior: a panther from Karol Gawroński’s work, the organic grain of the veneer, sculptural objects and soft, furry textures create the impression of an urban jungle. This is not, however, literal ornamentation, but rather an underlying energy that breaks the geometric discipline of the design.
The central storage section of the unit, concealed behind fronts featuring a print inspired by the painting “The Panther”, flows seamlessly into the functional kitchen area with a concealed fridge and household appliances. A neon sign above it, bearing the simple message “kitchen open late_”, concludes this sequence with humour and lightness, emphasising that in this flat the kitchen is not a back room but an integral part of the living space, accessible to the residents at any time of day.
Kitchen
The kitchen has been designed as a workspace, but not a technical one. Its simple stainless steel form reflects light and the surrounding colours, ensuring that despite its austerity, it remains visually light. The steel fronts do not dominate the interior, but act as a calm, gleaming surface in which fragments of furniture shimmer.
The use of a Ciarko induction hob with an integrated extractor hood made it possible to dispense with heavy wall units. As a result, the wall above the worktop has been freed up, and instead of bulky cupboards, there is a delicate, graphic shelf. The backdrop is a neutral, beige microcement, also used on the floor. Its warm tone harmonises well with the travertine cladding from Kamieniarz Warszawski, which introduces a natural, mineral counterpoint to the kitchen and entrance area. Against this understated backdrop, the red La Marzocco coffee machine from Coffeedesk really stands out. It is like a small, striking object on a steel stage – functional, yet almost a collector’s item. It brings the energy of colour into the kitchen, emphasising its everyday, ritualistic dimension, and complements the minimalist SWITCH tap from Omnires.
The focal point of the living area, however, is the yellow table, designed specifically for this interior by the designer. Its form, with its distinctive opening, defies the classic definition of a table. It is not merely a surface for eating or working, but an object that organises movement and relationships. The opening in the centre can be read as a pause in the composition – an absence that lends the form a sense of lightness and activates the space around it. The table becomes a kind of contemporary hearth, yet one devoid of literalism.
Chairs from various design traditions are arranged around it: from the icon of Danish design – Arne Jacobsen’s Model 3107 for Fritz Hansen – through Zieta Studio’s metal objects made using innovative FIDU technology, to local products by the Górna Półka brand, and the LUV chairs designed by Zuzanna Muszalska. They do not form a set, but a conversation – about the history of design, technological experimentation and personal choice.
The yellow table establishes a strong, monochromatic relationship with other Zieta Studio pieces: the Plopp stool and the Blade lamp in the same colour. Other items from this brand also feature in the flat. Their convex, reflective surfaces capture light and fragments of the interior, creating subtle optical distortions.
Hanging above the table is a lamp by Puff Buff, whose transparent, bubble-like form brings a sense of lightness and a touch of humour to the interior. Set against the concrete ceiling and exposed wiring, it looks like a soft cloud suspended within an industrial structure.
The kitchen is complemented by functional items from Polish brands: cast-iron cookware by TUDI, handmade ceramics by Warsaw-based artist Aleksandra Sikorska, who runs the brand czarnejestdobre, cups by Ceramics36, and wooden mills by Mill Mood Studio. These are everyday objects, but treated as part of the composition, they bring colour, texture and artisanal detail to the interior.
The rhythm of the surface-mounted electrical installation is complemented by Art Deco-inspired glass lamps from Embassy Interiors. Their delicate geometry softens the industrial character of the surface-mounted pipes, introducing a subtle, luminous ornament.
Bathroom
The bathroom is concealed behind a mirrored panel, so its entrance almost vanishes into the space. This technique not only makes the flat appear larger but also blurs the perception of the interior: it reflects the living room, the bedroom, fragments of furniture and light, making it difficult to determine exactly where the actual space ends and where its mirrored image begins. Upon crossing this invisible boundary, one enters an interior with a completely different atmosphere: more intimate and theatrical, yet still operating on the same principle of a mirage of mirrored reflections.
The most striking feature of the bathroom is the glass mosaic created by Trufle Mozaiki, based on a fragment of Karol Gawroński’s work ‘Arena’. The composition has been recreated only halfway. The other half appears only in the mirror, thanks to which the image is completed through the reflection. The ring becomes a whole only when the space is activated by the gaze. The gesture can be read symbolically: as an image of confrontation with oneself, the daily struggle that everyone wages at their own pace. The power of this bathroom lies in the fact that the functional space is transformed into a micro-installation, in which the mosaic, the reflections of the sketchy murals and the user themselves come together to form an intense scene.
On one of the walls, there is a built-in unit with a toilet bowl finished in California walnut burl. Its dark, decorative grain adds depth and warmth to the interior. The freestanding pedestal for the washbasin has been finished with geometric veneer designed by Patricia Urquiola, giving it the character of a separate object rather than a typical bathroom cabinet. Ceramics and fittings from the OVO and Y collections by Omnires, rendered in a more restrained style, bring order to the whole and allow the materials to shine through. The bathroom, like the entire flat, does not divide the world into the functional and the artistic. Every function here has its own form and texture.
A bold and multi-layered space has been created within 48 square metres. Rich in art, yet deeply rooted in everyday life. Objects, materials and forms create a shared, intense composition in which the small floor area becomes a limitation only in appearance. The design demonstrates that a small floor area need not mean compromise or retreat. It can become a place of vivid expression and a consciously constructed identity.
Karol Gawroński’s art does not function in the project as decoration added after completion. It is built into the doors, fitted furniture, mosaics and walls. Similarly, furniture and objects from Polish brands are not mere additions, but one of the main tools for building the interior’s identity. In this sense, the project is a manifesto of the local design scene: it shows that Polish design can engage in dialogue with the icons of global design without any complexes.
More information:gornapolka.com
text: Gosia Kotyczka
design: Gosia Kotyczka, OBIEKTY STUDIO
photography: Mood Authors
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