Icon  |  June 2015
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.
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Icon Magazine was established as a British design and architecture magazine in 2003, by Marcus Fairs, who was the first digital journalist to be awarded with an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The magazine is part of the Media 10 group and celebrated its 150th issue in 2015, where a redesign took place and it was split into the three sections that you enjoy today - Lifestyle, Architecture and Objects.
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Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Icon June 2015.