They are known for their intimate residential developments. Kompania Domowa is a property development company with projects in Warsaw and beyond. Its founder is Bogdan Żołnierzak, who invites selected architects and artists to work on building designs. The result of this collaboration are unique buildings that reflect the context of the place and are distinguished by architectural details and art. In buildings designed in this way, people who value quality and original forms find their places to live.
Kamil Białas: How did Kompania Domowa come about?
Bogdan Żołnierzak: In my childhood I wanted to become a general. Admittedly, I did not become a military man, but I am a general of sorts now, being the owner of the company. Since I wanted to build houses, I came up with the name Kompania Domowa, because a company is associated with the military, and I only associate the military well. The name also refers to a military drill, because the investments we make are built on time and under agreed conditions. Simply put, everyone knows what they are responsible for.
You completed your first project eight years ago. What has changed since then?
The first project was a residential building on Żołnierzy Wyklętych Street in Warsaw, and for many years our headquarters were located on Wojska Polskiego Avenue. For several years now, our headquarters have been in the historic building of the former watchtower in the Praga Koneser Centre. It is a beautiful brick building, which is the quintessence of Praga architecture. What has not changed is the philosophy behind our operations. Our strength is still to focus on uniqueness and good design. We pay attention to good customer relations and good customer service. We also take good care of the buildings we put into use. I deliberately don’t use the word ‘best’, because it means something different to everyone, and in my opinion, if something is good, it’s just good.
There are ten people working permanently in the Home Company office. You only do one or two projects a year. Don’t you want to increase this scale?
Thanks to this intimacy, I have control over every investment. I can get involved in each project, right from the concept stage. I love that moment when we work on the first ideas. We decide what the building will look like. As long as I can be involved in all the realisations, an intimate organisation makes sense. That’s why I like to refer to Kompania Domowa as an author company or a flat manufactory. We hand over a limited number of units, but this allows me to take direct care of our projects.
The appearance of the buildings themselves is solely the work of the architects? Do you give them a free hand?
Architects do a very large part of the work. When we buy a plot of land for a development, we prepare architectural concepts and analyse which one looks best and develop that later. I don’t impose my vision on the architects, but the concept we choose must be in line with my perception of the place.
And what about finances? There are quite a few solutions in your buildings that could have been omitted, after all, decoration does not affect functionality.
That’s right, but I created the company to leave a good and interesting footprint. This is the idea I follow, to leave well-designed, functional and aesthetically beautiful buildings. I pay attention to details like rounded walls or brick facades, because they give the buildings their original character. I want the projects that are realised to be distinctive enough for someone who is next to them to take notice. One example is the bas-relief with pigeons designed by Beata Konarska, which appeared on our “Kompas Targówek” project. We didn’t have to put it on the building, but now it decorates the whole thing beautifully. I try to smuggle some art into each building. For example, in the “Wolska Kamienica” hang watercolours with various Wola buildings. I asked artists to paint these and they now adorn the walls of the common areas. We pay attention to the quality of the corridors. We are installing doormats recessed into the floor, which improves the aesthetics of the whole space. There are more details like this.
Let’s talk about specific projects. “The Plastic Tenement will be built on Sympathetic Street in the Włochy district. This is a garden city with historic villa buildings. Preparing a design for this location must have been quite a challenge?
Our location is not included in the local development plan, so a decision on development conditions was worked out. This defined the permitted scale and shape of the building. In this way, we combined the architects’ vision with the urban context to create a design that reflects the character of the place. And Warsaw’s Włochy is full of architecturally interesting projects to draw inspiration from. This is one of the reasons why we chose a brick façade that fits in with the surrounding, atmospheric buildings. To this we added dark finishing elements, which give the whole building elegance.
Interestingly, the elements are not exactly black. They are anthracite with a touch of colour. We do not use standard colours in our developments. We always combine the base colours with an admixture of another, so that the buildings get a different look depending on the season and the weather.
I see. Do you also use such treatments in the interiors? “The Plastic Tenement has an almost boutique design.
It’s true. I’ve been saying for years that ‘home’ is supposed to start as soon as you enter the building, not when you cross the threshold of the flat. This is why the common areas are supposed to have a homely feel. I have no influence on how the residents of the ‘Plastika Kamienica’ will furnish their flats, but I do have an influence on how the common areas will look. I attach great importance to this.
The “Prince Janusz’s Will” building looks completely different. I can see modernist inspirations here. The numerous curves and the light-coloured facade are reminiscent of Gdynia townhouses. Where did the idea for this form come from?
We opted for the architect’s vision, which we liked very much and it is to him that we should pay tribute. “Wola Księcia Janusza” has a simple form, and we will make the façade from quality materials. On the one hand, they will emphasise the high standard of the investment, and on the other hand, they will make the building look good over the years. Such solutions are, after all, the business card of our company.
Do you also operate outside of Warsaw?
Yes. Our first investment outside the capital is the “Korona Legionowa”. The building is meant to be an example of the fact that original, quality, premium buildings can be built in cities such as Legionowo. “The Crown of Legionowo is a very modern building. We will enter it without touching the handles. A special system will recognise residents’ faces and automatically open the main door for them. In addition, an air filtration system will be in operation here, which will neutralise bacteria, viruses and fungi, and the lobby will have atmospheric music and a pleasant scent. The development is also distinguished by large gardens and a small park for residents, which will be decorated with old-growth trees, or a customised underground car park, decorated in an interesting and obviously unconventional colour. Lots of unusual solutions, but we always try to go beyond the standard.
Finally, let me ask you about your dreams. Are there any? Perhaps you would like to put your building in a specific place?
I have been pursuing my dreams for a long time, which means leaving traces of myself. I would like to leave as many of these traces as possible so that people who are aware of aesthetics pay attention to our buildings and recognise that they were created thanks to the Home Company, and so that the circle of those who notice and appreciate the differences grows. It is for them that we make our investments.
Thank you for the interview!
You can read more about Kompania Domowa and its investments on the company’s website: https://www.kompaniadomowa.pl.
source: Kompania Domowa, editorial team
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