A beauty parlor hair dryer repurposed as a lamp sheds light on the custom tub in bright red in this Warsaw home.
With the right resources, it’s not hard to achieve a specific look, whether that’s Midcentury Modern or Grandmillenial. Not achieving a look, now that’s something else. Even shunning style is a style. But once in a while, one encounters a home that truly looks as if it fell into place. A home whose wonderful randomness seems utterly authentic, not carefully choreographed.
Piotr Płoski’s residence and studio in Warsaw is one such environment. A lab, of sorts, for ideas that feed into smallna, his design-build firm – with a portfolio that includes restaurants, boutiques and offices – these highly personal interiors are an eye-intriguing study in disparity. While modern and contemporary modes dominate, the contrasts between the pieces Płoski has gathered stand not so much as a statement but as evidence of a free-wheeling willingness to ponder shape and material and function. “Because I run a studio focusing on design-build projects, I provide custom solutions to myself first,” explains Płoski, “such as a bathtub manufactured in a red color on a custom-welded frame, or a built-in wardrobe covered with wavy steel more commonly used for roofing.”
Trained in economics but always keen on architecture and design, Płoski periodically displays furniture he has collected and lectures. “I try to educate the Polish market and inspire potential clients and other architects. I really love discussions about important figures – Charlotte Perriand, Arne Jacobsen, Jean Prouvé, Gaetano Pesce, Ron Arad.”
Perhaps the most striking example of Płoski’s readiness to think outside the box in the home he shares with his wife, Stefania, newborn daughter, Petra, and a cat named Cotu is the walk-through shower that connects the kitchen and living room. “It is a very functional and space-saving solution, offering direct communication between the two spaces and serving as a kind of window,” he remarks. “Of course, we have curtains to protect against water, but when not in use, they are folded away and almost invisible.”
If there is an unfinished aspect to these spaces – even a dorm-room disarray here and there – it is all a manifestation of Płoski’s curiosity and his ability to appreciate details and parts as well as the big picture. A beauty parlor hair dryer repurposed as a lamp, one of those leather rhinos Abercrombie & Fitch sold when the store was still known as a sportsman’s outfitter and classic pieces from Herman Miller and Knoll (MillerKnoll) are all at home here. One might say nothing adds up. But run those numbers again.
Photography by Celestyna Krol and Alicja T.
For more like this Warsaw home, be sure to check out the studio and home of artist Przemyslaw Lasak.
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