A dream apartment must be tailor-made

In Poland, can we talk about a leading trend related to the design and decoration of houses and flats?

Katarzyna Kłos*: We are not exceptional in this respect. Like the rest of the world, we intercept what reaches us and what seems particularly attractive at the moment because it is new. For some, it will be flats in lofts, others want to live in houses whose designers borrow from the 1960s, for example. If there is anything that Poles have in common, it is probably a love of warmth and tradition. Many times customers ask: "Kasia, let the apartment be warm". Lest there be any misunderstanding, it's not about energy efficiency, but about the impression it's supposed to make. Maybe that's why the interiors of Polish houses often do not have a dominant character, but are simply bland. Therefore, when I hear that it is supposed to be warm and quite traditional, I try to smuggle my ideas in anyway, but in such a way that on the one hand it is really bright and nice, as the client wishes, but at the same time that the house has its own style.

Residents of large cities prefer modern designs. On the outskirts and in smaller towns, attachment to tradition reigns supreme. True or false?

This is too much of a simplification. I would rather say that those who often come into contact with foreign countries go towards sterility and purity of form, both in terms of the houses themselves and their decoration. On the other hand, even in the suburbs, it is difficult for people to decide on a modern house shape if there are houses with sloping roofs and turrets around, like in a medieval castle. An additional difficulty is often the fact that many zoning plans impose that roofs must have a specific angle of inclination. Then it is difficult to "crazy" in the project, and the search for your own separate character ends with a "gargamel", in which there are a lot of turrets, flags, imitating classic balustrades, lions sit in front of the door and eagles land on the ridges, here and there cladding made of pebbles is exposed.

What does your dream house look like?

It's cool and modern. It has large glazing in the façade, because I like when the interior blends with the exterior, the guest garden is at home. The house of my dreams is rather single-story and more flat than tall. I use natural materials for finishing, which is why there is stone and wood in this house.

But let's go back to the houses and flats of Poles. Few realize that their lifestyle has a huge impact on how the house looks. That is why, already at the design stage, I ask a lot of questions about the habits of investors, what their everyday life looks like, how often they have guests, whether they have pets, etc. One of the basic questions on my part is the question about the hobbies of future tenants. For example, if someone loves old folk objects, then of course they can be displayed in a modern block, but a better effect would be achieved by choosing a folk-inspired design. I don't like designing interiors in houses built according to ready-made designs. Sometimes, then, reconciling the investor's expectations with what he already has, i.e. a specific space, is a breakneck challenge. Even cramming the island into the kitchen, which is completely unsuitable for it. During the execution of one of the orders, I made dozens of proposals for its arrangement, but I knew that none of them was perfect, because there was simply no room for the island. A bit desperate, I made a styrofoam model and put it inside. The client looked and only then agreed with me. If someone likes paintings, you need to create the right conditions for their exposure. Similarly, if he is a hunter, bibliophile, antique lover, he must know that his favorite items will not look appropriate in every interior. Houses, like clothes, must be tailor-made from the very beginning.

As an example of a complete divergence between the purpose of the interior and the project, I will give the Registry Office in Białołęka. Lots of gray granite, brass. The result - a funeral home chapel. Maybe the designer was an opponent of the institution of marriage?

You mentioned that we rather borrow ideas for interior design and furnishing from abroad .

Creating trends is like advertising - it costs money. It must be supported by long media campaigns. Therefore, although Poles receive international awards, later it all slips away and we marvel at the projects of Italians, French or Spaniards, who are often promoted in the trade press. This is so, although we have excellent designers, such as Tomasz Augustyniak, Tomasz Rygalik or Renata Kalarus. Thanks to the Internet, the world has become a small village, so it's easier to watch what they do and admire it, while at our fingertips we have, if not better, then certainly equivalent solutions.

* Katarzyna Kłos – a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology. He specializes in interior design projects - both private and public. She designed exhibition displays, e.g. first prize for the design of the exhibition at Astana Build 2007. For many years she cooperated with the Asia and Pacific Museum in the design and execution of thematic exhibitions. Currently, he is the development manager of the portal for interior designers ARTcada.pl .

September market marathon

Warsaw Build 2013, Interiors&Design Warsaw 2013, Certiba Warsaw 2013 and Windows&Doors Warsaw 2013 will be held on September 10-12 at the Warsaw Exhibition Center EXPO XXI. They are organized by the Lentewenc company, which is part of the ITE Group, an international exhibition giant .