What is it like to study interior design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and the University of Arts in Poznań? Oliwia Karapuda shares her experience

14 of July '26

Oliwia Karapuda

#Architectural Education in Poland_Architecture Departments

Where can you study interior architecture in Poland? Which university should you choose? We asked students and recent graduates from Polish universities about what studying this field is like—what works, what poses a challenge, and what could be improved. Oliwia Karapuda talks about what it’s like to study interior architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and the University of Arts in Poznań.

Oliwia KARAPUDA— interior architect, graphic designer. A graduate of the Magdalena Abakanowicz State High School of Fine Arts in Gdynia, where she earned the title of visual artist. She completed her bachelor’s degree with honors at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk with a thesis titled “Prologue: You Are in a Small Village. A Conceptual Design for the Adaptation of Bruhl Palace in Brody for Exhibition Purposes.” She continued her studies at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań, culminating in a master’s thesis titled “Cracks in the (Sea) Coast. A Design for a Service and Exhibition Pavilion as a Statement on the Lost Identity of the City of Łeba,” presenting a personal journey through the history and contemporary fate of her hometown. The project was named the Best Master’s Thesis in Interior Architecture 2024 at the Young Interior Designers Biennale (Polish edition 2024) and also received first prize in the A&B competition for Best Thesis: Interiors for the years 2023–2025. She is a winner of awards in national and international competitions in the fields of architecture, interior architecture, and furniture design. She is currently affiliated with the design studio “Znamy się z Wrocławia” and is also actively involved in competition and artistic circles. You can view her projects on Instagram @aku.arch

Education is an experience that requires mindfulness and conscious participation. Only by remaining constantly engaged in the process—rather than focusing solely on the results—can one build a lasting foundation for one’s own design practice.

I consider my decision to move from a small hometown to Gdynia and attend the Art High School in Orłowo to be the beginning of my conscious search for my own path. It was an important step that opened up a space for me to express myself—one that was open to diverse opinions, art forms, and ways of presenting art. The school, located right by the sea, was an additional source of inspiration: daily contact with the coastal landscape taught me a sense of attachment to the place and respect for what already existed there.

I began my bachelor’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. The COVID-19 pandemic, which struck in the middle of my studies, forced me to return to my family home and cut me off from the academic community for an extended period. Up until that point, I had been a student in a phase of exploration—I found it difficult to define my role in the process, to clarify what I wanted to convey through my projects, or where I wanted them to lead me. The isolation brought on by the pandemic allowed me to arrive at a certain conclusion: education is a framework, not a ready-made program—its quality depends on how it is used. It was a pivotal time for me. I began to intensively develop my own design language and consciously work with themes that were close to my heart. Every project or competition entry became, for me, the result of a deliberate experiment, rather than merely a repetition of well-worn formulas. My first success—second place in an international competition—opened up new opportunities for me: a television interview, radio appearances, and my first publications in the press and on industry blogs. This experience gave me the impetus to keep going; within a short time, I managed to secure another podium finish, and shortly thereafter, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors.

I pursued my master’s degree at the University of Arts in Poznań, and at the same time, I began working atHugon Kowalski’s UGO Architecture firm. The diverse professional experience I gained there translated into greater confidence and independence in my design work during my studies. Of particular importance to me was the studio of Prof. Weronika Węcławska-Lipowicz, co-led by Assistant Professor Dr. Marta Brennenstuh-Bludnik, which served as a unique space for dialogue where I felt valued and understood. The assignments completed in the studio allowed me to explore social and contextual themes related, among other things, to the identity of a place, public space, and the adaptation of existing structures. During this time, I also managed to win several awards in interior design and furniture design competitions.

I viewed my thesis project as a natural culmination of my educational journey. Its subject was Łeba—the place where I come from—and the issue of pine forest clear-cutting and the gradual erosion of the town’s identity. The project “Szczeliny (nad)morza” (Cracks of the (Seaside) Sea) combines the fields of architecture and interior design into a single, shared spatial narrative, set in the middle of a cleared forest. I wanted the project to pose a question rather than present a ready-made thesis—about the limits of intervention in the landscape, about responsibility, and about the future of coastal places, which are increasingly functioning solely as tourist products. The thesis was honored with the title of Best Master’s Thesis in Interior Architecture 2024 during the nationwide edition of the Young Interior Designers Biennale and won first prize in the A&B competition for Best Thesis: Interiors 2023–2025.