Designing her own office gave interior architect Anna Maria Sokołowska an opportunity to meet her team’s needs while showing clients the materials and solutions she uses in her work. The 52-square-metre studio in Gdynia includes radiators by Luxrad among these examples. Photography is by Fotomohito.
Taking cues from a modernist building
The office occupies a modernist building whose character informed the interior. Sokołowska chose simple, expressive solutions that complement the architecture, aiming for a lasting setting in which to work comfortably rather than following current trends. Materials and details familiar from her studio’s projects appear throughout.
The office also provides a place to test new ideas before introducing them into future clients’ interiors. Visitors can see innovative materials and unusual design solutions in use, and assess how they look in person.
A neutral palette with shades of blue
White, black and grey form the basis of the scheme, combined with natural wood, a recurring material in Sokołowska’s work. This restrained palette makes the office relatively easy and inexpensive to refresh: new furniture and accessories can substantially change its appearance without extensive work.
Grey-blue appears on the ceilings in the private office and the designers’ room, as well as on shelving in the meeting room. Navy-blue chairs and a corridor seat introduce another shade. These colours enliven the interior and soften the visual impact of its many horizontal and vertical divisions, adding variety to the otherwise simple forms.
A workplace that clients can experience
The layout considers both the people working in the office and the clients who visit. Flush doors make the space feel larger, while wallpaper on the ceiling introduces an unexpected detail. A glazed wall brings daylight into the small meeting room.
The Columnus radiator by Luxrad is another familiar element from the architect’s projects. Its simple construction serves as both a source of heat and a discreet decorative feature.
“The Columnus radiator by Luxrad is one of my favourite models. I have used it before in our projects in period apartment buildings, where it fits in wonderfully. So it had to be part of our office too. I believe that if we want to persuade a client to choose a product, they need to see it in person,” says Sokołowska of Anna Maria Sokołowska Architektura Wnętrz.
For the architect, interior design is a lifelong passion, with its challenges and often difficult decisions. She also emphasises the pleasure of designing and watching an idea become the home its future occupants had hoped for.
Products used in the project
- Radiator: Luxrad, Columnus
Planning an office means considering both everyday work and the experience of visiting clients. Explore more projects by Anna Maria Sokołowska on her PLNDesign profile and get in touch by email, phone, website or social media, whichever suits you best.
See also:
- The Design Group gives Yareal Polska’s Warsaw office a domestic feel
- Plants hang above clay-block seating at a bistro in Radomsko, Poland
