Piotr Łucyan of Art’Up Interiors has designed a 50-square-metre flat in the Koneser complex in Warsaw’s Praga district, combining California Burl veneer with boldly patterned marble, tiles with uneven surfaces, saturated colours and an array of design objects. In art, one strong colour can be balanced by another of equal intensity, a principle that also applies to expressive forms. Here, Łucyan has brought these elements together without allowing them to clash.
A brief for the opposite of minimalism
Edwin, the owner, furnished his first home himself. It was minimalist, highly practical and rather cold. Eight years later, he asked Łucyan for the opposite: 50 square metres filled with colour, art and objects that could surprise him.
He approached the designer after seeing an earlier project in Łódź. Its deep colours and California Burl engineered veneer, with a pattern resembling the dramatic swirls of burr wood, had stayed with him. He wanted the same veneer in his own home. ‘Edwin wasn’t looking for a flat like those his friends have. He gave me considerable freedom, but also the task of reconciling motifs and colours that might at first seem to compete,’ says Łucyan. The designer handled the challenge skilfully.
California Burl appears at the entrance and continues through the living room, kitchen and study area. It also lines the bedroom and features in the bathroom. Each time, it is combined with a different set of materials and colours.
A living room that keeps changing
Edwin has an active social life and wanted his new flat to accommodate a large group of friends. He had a generous sofa in his previous home and knew that he would need comfortable seating for plenty of people here, too. Łucyan proposed a modular sofa in the centre of the living room, accessible from several sides. They chose a design by Polish brand Optisofa, adding cushions made from Dedar Milano fabrics.
The choice proved successful. ‘Edwin plays with it; in less than a year, he has rearranged it many times. At one point it faced the windows and the huge terrace overlooking Koneser’s rooftops. At another, he turned the whole thing towards the island. He has also joined all the modules together to make one large place for two people to lie down,’ the designer says.
A steel Stubby table by Dutchbone stands beside the sofa. Interest in its reflective surface led to further metallic accents elsewhere in the flat. Cubic tables by MG Design, finished in Sottsass Grey veneer, provide a contrast nearby. They demonstrate how varied the effect of wood grain can be.
Within just 50 square metres, Łucyan also found room for a small study. A glass-block wall separates it from the living area, admitting light while screening the workspace and its equipment. Beside it, on the living room side, a mirror has a cobalt-coloured wave ornament. Two wall lights with concentric-circle motifs sit in front of the glass, their changing reflections adding movement to the room. A Fala floor lamp by Polish brand Artera stands nearby, reflecting Łucyan’s particular enthusiasm for Polish design and craftsmanship.
An island for gathering friends
Edwin admits that he rarely cooks at home, yet the kitchen island beside the living room regularly draws his guests. They can stand there with a drink and continue talking to people on the sofa, or prepare quick snacks together. The deep navy surface changes shade with the light, thanks to both the glaze and the uneven texture of the handmade tiles. Edwin recalls being unsure of his choice when they arrived from the manufacturer. Only once the whole island was clad did the colour reveal its full effect. He says he likes running his hand over the tiles because he can feel the work of human hands in them.
The pattern of the navy ceramics is set against broad streaks in the quartzite used for the worktops and wall cladding. A large blue-and-white Aromas del Campo pendant hangs above the island, while a pair of green ceramic Ferroluce wall lights sits above the worktop. Smaller objects extend the colour palette. One has a particularly prominent place on the island: a multicoloured light sculpture, a one-off lamp by Michał Korchowiec.
Art around the bed
California Burl has a strong presence in the bedroom, where a wide headboard extends into a band of panelling with a shelf. Running along two walls, it is used primarily to display art. The pieces include a calligraphic work by Franciszek Starowieyski, a sculpture by Roland Kościółek and a vase by Malwina Konopacka, whose form is echoed by the ceiling light. Music has a place here as well, with space set aside for speakers on the burr-patterned shelf.
While choosing art and furnishings together, Łucyan took Edwin to galleries and sent him links to auctions of second-hand pieces. Their searches led to Mati Sipiora’s Pudel, a sculptural steel seat, which now stands in the bedroom. ‘At first, we were considering a version in the natural colour of the metal. But a bright red example was available. It turned out to be exactly what the composition was missing,’ Łucyan recalls.
Burgundy marble in the bathroom
Pattern continues in the bathroom, where the floor is laid with Warsaw’s characteristic corset tiles, named for their narrow-waisted shape. California Burl veneer covers the rounded vanity unit and curved mirror frame. ‘These curves were particularly difficult to make. The joiner, Zbigniew Żurek, handled them brilliantly,’ says Łucyan.
The designer initially considered the paler Calacatta Viola marble. A visit to a stone warehouse changed the plan when Edwin chose burgundy Rosso Levanto instead. It was used for the worktop, the basin with its matching plug, a lower shelf and small recessed shelves in the shower. Smoked glass screens the shower while still allowing light through. A concealed entrance beside it leads to a small laundry room with space for cleaning products and a vacuum cleaner. Łucyan cleverly carved this useful room out of the bathroom to make it easier to keep the home immaculate.
‘This project took me beyond the kinds of spaces I usually work with. Within a small floor area, I had to accommodate Edwin’s everyday needs and social life while leaving room for art and the objects he likes. It was a puzzle, but one I enjoyed solving,’ says Łucyan. ‘I was pleased, and still am, that the owner of this flat likes to experiment.’
Products used in the project
- Engineered veneer: California Burl
- Modular sofa: Optisofa
- Cushion fabrics: Dedar Milano
- Steel table: Dutchbone, Stubby
- Cubic tables: MG Design, finished in Sottsass Grey veneer
- Floor lamp: Artera, Fala
- Pendant above the kitchen island: Aromas del Campo
- Green ceramic kitchen wall lights: Ferroluce
- Light sculpture on the kitchen island: Michał Korchowiec
- Calligraphic work in the bedroom: Franciszek Starowieyski
- Bedroom sculpture: Roland Kościółek
- Bedroom vase: Malwina Konopacka
- Steel seat: Mati Sipiora, Pudel
- Bathroom marble: Rosso Levanto
Like this 34-square-metre flat in Łódź? Discover more projects by ArtUp Interiors and get in touch with the studio directly through its PLNDesign profile.
See also:
- A guitarist’s first apartment takes its colours from his father’s art
- An island doubles as a dining table in a Kraków apartment for two
