Work submitted for the competition
"Best Interior Diploma 2021/2023".
The subject of the work is the interior design of an apartment in a Warsaw tenement house at 49 Jerozolimskie Avenue, known as the tenement house of Dr. Józef Dawidson and Eng. Hackel Kadyński. The building, designed by Jozef Napoleon Czerwinski, is an example of Art Nouveau architecture, was built in 1910-1913 and survived both wars.
interior of the salon
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
The apartment is designed for a young couple with a grandmother, an artist painter, under their care. The challenge was to combine the needs of two generations—an active couple, however, separating work from home life, and an elderly person with a large store of memories, physically fit and loving art. The idea was to create for them a good, friendly atmosphere going with the times, but respectful of the history of the apartment, a visually coherent whole.
Interior of an apartment in a pre-war tenement, projection
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
The project is an interpretation of a pre-war interior giving it a contemporary dimension. The scope includes the division of the space in accordance with the needs of the users and conservation permits. The arrangement is to refer to the character of the interiors of the tenement houses, while preserving as many original details as possible.
material combinations
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
The initial idea was to show and maintain the importance of cultural heritage, not only in the surrounding architecture, but also in the interiors. Special design attention was paid to the space for the elderly, so that with a large number of objects, the comfort of use was maintained.
grandmother's room
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
More than a century old stucco, door woodwork and a restored staircase all played a part in the search for aesthetic solutions for the apartment. Despite the apartment's small size, the design road was long; I wanted to bring back the spirit of the past and make it go hand in hand with the present.
A fragment of the grandmother's room and kitchen
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
In the original layout, the space was divided into three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and a hallway. To create a comfortable place for a family of three to live, I proposed a new functional layout. All relocations of walls, original stucco and interior doors were planned after prior consultation with the building's conservator and designer.
living room and bedroom
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
The first step in selecting materials was to study the interiors of pre-war and post-war Warsaw townhouses. The materials used in the project are of the highest class and best quality, with respect for old craftsmanship. Lighting was chosen, combining modernity with the past. Throughout the apartment (with the exception of the toilets), a "palace" parquet of solid oak wood, oiled in walnut color, was laid, creating a background for further design activities.
The interior of the bathroom and toilet
© Aleksandra Niewczas-Marek
Crystal lamps, sconces, numerous paintings and photos in decorative frames and mosaics were used. The whole, interpreting pre-war interiors, has an eclectic character, combining several styles, forms, patterns and colors.
Aleksandra NIEWCZAS-MAREK
Illustrations: © Author
