Icon Magazine June 2015 Back Issue

A new generation of Polish designers is rejecting the cool minimalism that characterised the post-1989 years and showing a renewed interest in vernacular and traditional crafts. Their textiles and ceramics are defined by colour, decoration and an ability to “think through patterns”
Contrary to the popular slogan uttered by Adolf Loos some 100 years ago, ornament is no longer a crime. For years, the apartments of young Polish creatives were dominated by sterile minimalism and a cool, post-industrial aesthetic – a reaction to the kitsch interiors their parents installed during the nascent capitalism of the late 1980s, and to the redevelopment of former industrial buildings in major Polish cities. Now, however, young Poles are once again opening up to more colourful and energetic furnishings.
The term “applied arts” evokes aspirations formed during the 1920s and 30s of “applying arts to industry”, which still shape our contemporary notions of product and industrial design to a significant degree. Today, this term may seem awkward and obsolete, but in Poland it is actually quite apt when describing current design tendencies: pattern and illustrations are increasingly prevalent, with designers eager to demonstrate their ability to “think through patterns” – an impulse that extends to those working in both two and three dimensions.