Work submitted for the competition
"Best Interior Diploma 2022/2024".
The purpose of the work was to design the body of a cottage, its interiors and furnishings based on architecture, design and artistic activities from the Podhale region. It is the author's interpretation of traditional highland cottages and designs by Stanisław Witkiewicz. References to the history of the Podhale region are evident in the design: from the functional layout, to giving ornamentation a function, to the use of local materials.
Interior of the living room with kitchen
© Piotr Sudoł
The second important aspect of the design is the adaptation of the space to the current user (tourist) and functionality. The designed space allows the user to relax from the visual overload present in big cities, but also in the main tourist centers in Podhale.
Interior of the summer house, functional projection
© Piotr Sudoł
The functional layout was designed on the basis of one of the most popular layouts of highland cottages. The division into a white and black chamber and a vestibule was used. The black chamber is the interior where everyday life takes place: a living room with a kitchenette and dining area, and a bathroom. The vestibule was transformed into a large hall.
hallway and bathroom
© Piotr Sudoł
The white chamber, on the other hand, became two bedrooms. The total area is 110 square meters— the dimensions of the summer house were taken from the floor plan of a traditional highland cottage. The body of the proportions refers to a highland cottage, and the facade has been covered with wood. The layout of the windows has also been preserved, but they have different dimensions.
The interior of one of the bedrooms, with a work space in the background
© Piotr Sudoł
The main pattern used in the vestibule is a rhombus derived from molds for making traditional highland cheese. The pattern was multiplied and placed on a wooden wall with a bench. Its elements were also used in the clothes hangers, the protuberances in the bench fronts and the cabinet handles. Another room is a large living room with a kitchenette and dining area. The kitchen was designed based on the principle of the working triangle, and the furniture structures are visible.
Interior of the living room with kitchen in the summer house
© Piotr Sudoł
Next to the kitchen stands a TV bookcase inspired by sideboards designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz. A corner sofa, a coffee table and an armchair with a heart pattern create a comfortable seating area. The dining area features a table with chairs and stools— inspired by the wave pattern from Witkiewicz's designs. The design of the chairs and stools was based on a highland rosette. The bookcases standing behind the table are a reference to the clock from the Koliba villa. For the living room, the materials used are important: the walls were covered with veneered panels, and the upholstery of the sofa was made of wool. Also found here are cattle skins and kilims, known from highland traditions.
A bedroom with an office workspace
© Piotr Sudoł
One of the bedrooms was divided by glazing referring to the windows of the houses by Witkiewicz into two separate zones. The first zone is provided for office work and as a sleeping area for one person; the second is typically a bedroom. A carpentry enclosure surrounding the bed creates storage space for clothing. The stylistics of the room refers to Witkiewicz's pattern of semicircles arranged in a row. The second bedroom proposes a layout with the bed located in the center. The inspiration came from the tiered construction. The bed frame itself, the frames of the linocut and the mirror, as well as the handles, allude in form to the alternately arranged wooden beams.
Bedroom interior, linocut on the wall
© Piotr Sudoł
The bathroom uses a pattern created by simplifying and combining several patterns present in Witkiewicz's designs. It was used to create the carvings in the woodwork and the pattern of the ceramic tiles on the floor.
kilim design
© Piotr Sudoł
Kilims designed in the graphic design studio under the supervision of Dr. Daria Malicka were used in several rooms of the house. The graphics placed on the kilims are inspired by legends of the Podhale region, and their „pixelated” nature allows the fabric to be made more easily and quickly.
Piotr Sudoł
Illustrations: © Author
