Dom Meblowy „Emilia” w 2013 roku. Autor zdjęcia: mamik, Licencja: CC-BY-SA 3.0

The ‘Emilia’ furniture store closed down 10 years ago. Will it return to Warsaw?

·9 September 2026

For over 40 years, the people of Warsaw came here to admire stylish furniture; later, they visited art exhibitions; and today, behind the tin fence, the wind howls and rubbish lies strewn about. The ‘Emilia’ furniture store was considered one of the most outstanding examples of modernism in Poland. It disappeared from the city centre at the turn of 2016 and 2017, whilst the promise of its reconstruction remained. It will soon be 10 years since its demolition.

The ‘Emilia’ furniture store on Emilii Plater Street

Opened in 1970, ‘Emilia’ was built at 51 Emilii Plater Street to a design by Marian Kuźniar and Czesław Wegner, and its name probably referred to the street’s namesake. Tadeusz Spanili was responsible for the building’s structure, whilst the interiors were the work of Hanna Lewicka. The low pavilion, with large glazed sections in place of external walls, stood out from the tall buildings of Śródmieście. The character of this fairly simple structure was defined by its reinforced concrete roof with a broken profile, which stood out clearly against the transparent, regularly divided façades that emphasised the building’s rhythm. After dark, the illuminated interiors transformed the furniture store into a huge display window – at that time, it looked like a glowing lantern. The display could be viewed directly from the pavement.

Fashionable furniture in the People’s Republic of Poland

The open-plan halls were furnished with fashionable wardrobes, bookcases, tables, armchairs and sofas. The almost ascetic décor gave centre stage to the furnishings, whilst the geometry of the stepped roof was also clearly visible inside. Two above-ground walkways led to the block of flats situated behind the pavilion. Together, they formed a mixed-use residential and commercial complex, with the furniture store also occupying part of the neighbouring building. This housed additional display stands, offices, staff facilities and a café for customers. Large open-plan spaces without dense partitions made it easier to change displays and showcase complete flat furnishings. Their materials, colours and patterns changed in line with the shop’s range. For families furnishing their first flats in new housing estates, this was an opportunity to compare furniture and gather ideas for their own interiors. The displays were dazzling, but the reality of the economy of scarcity was ruthless: goods were mainly viewed through the glass, and one had to hunt down every delivery.

The ‘Emilia’ furniture store as an MSN

After 1989, the pavilion continued to be used for retail, whilst its surroundings were gradually filled with ever-taller buildings. In 2012, ‘Emilia’ was taken over by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, directed by Joanna Mytkowska. The former sales rooms were filled with exhibitions, meetings and educational events, whilst the glazed façades allowed passers-by to look inside. During the same period, the property came into the hands of an investor linked to Griffin Real Estate. The prospect of replacing ‘Emilia’ with a skyscraper sparked a dispute over the preservation of post-war architecture. Ultimately, the conservation officer was unable to save the building at its original location.

Demolition with a promise of return

The pavilion was demolished at the turn of 2016 and 2017. The announcement of its ‘relocation’ effectively meant dismantling it and salvaging some of its components for later reconstruction. The building thus lost its original site, neighbourhood, context and most of its original structure. The reconstructed building was to be erected on Świętokrzyska Street, next to Świętokrzyski Park and the Palace of Culture and Science. It was proposed that its interiors would feature a winter garden and a public space for residents’ daily gatherings. However, subsequent announcements did not lead to its reconstruction, and the recovery of selected fragments alone did not guarantee the realisation of the entire project.

A roof in Białołęka and a missing icon of modernism

The reinforced concrete roof elements were transported to the site of the former Stare Świdry House Factory in Białołęka. They have been lying there for years, and recently the media reported on people experiencing homelessness who had adapted them as temporary accommodation. The vacant plot on Emilii Plater Street, meanwhile, had been linked to plans for a skyscraper around 200 metres tall; there were also reports that the property had been put up for sale. At present, there is no timetable or funding for the reconstruction of the pavilion, nor is there a start date for a new development on the former site. However, the return of ‘Emilia’ does not appear to be a priority for the Warsaw authorities. All that remains are fragments of this iconic architecture, somewhere on the outskirts of the city, and an unfulfilled promise to return it to the people of Warsaw.