Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House by Roland Stanczyk is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.
IronInterior· 2023
Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House
Client: Roland Stanczyk
A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category
Verified Award Winner
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About Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House
Socialist Distric Apartment stylistically fits into the architectural style of MDM social realist city district built on the ruins of post-war Warsaw. Details of the designed furniture and doors correspond to Polish ornamentation from the 40s and 50s. New bespoke furniture has been juxtaposed with this renovated in art deco style. The decor of the flat is complemented by paintings of the Polish artists from the first half of XX century.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award
Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Interviews
Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The main principle was to create a dialogue between socialist realist architecture and contemporary interior living, respecting the historical identity of the building while introducing modern comfort. Inspiration came from Warsaw’s Marszałkowska Residential District (MDM) and its 1940s–50s monumental yet classically detailed buildings. I sought to reinterpret these elements through subtle Art Déco references, balancing nostalgia, function, and elegance.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
The focus was spatial clarity, proportion, and human comfort. I aimed to transform a post-war apartment, originally cramped and rigid, into a flowing, functional home while preserving its architectural essence. Key interventions included expanding the bathroom and bedroom, reducing the oversized kitchen, and designing custom furniture that resonated with the building’s era.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
This project serves as a reference for future interventions in socialist-era residential buildings. I plan to document the process in professional publications and continue exploring historical reinterpretation in private interiors, blending heritage with modern living.
Grand Interview
Your innovative integration of socialist realist architectural elements in the Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House beautifully honors Warsaw's post-war heritage - could you elaborate on how you balanced historical authenticity with modern living requirements?
Warsaw has lost its architectural substance. It was completely ruined by the Germans in 1944. The buildings built shortly after the war are the ones of the oldest, apart from the few that have been preserved. They are among the most interesting, located in the city center. It is our duty to respect them and adapt them to modern requirements. We can change and adapt the interiors while preserving what is valuable. The exterior must remain unchanged.
The bespoke furniture and doors in Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House feature distinctive Polish ornamentation from the 1940s and 1950s - what inspired your decision to incorporate these specific design elements, and how did you ensure their historical accuracy?
were the few, that were designed coherently. They had interiors you did want to stay in. They were supposed to be the showcase of communism. I observed them appreciating the consistency of design. I observed the details. New technological possibilities allowed me to recreate them craftsmanship and implement them in the designed interior.
Your renovation process for the Socialist Distric Apartment Residential House included the challenging task of renewing 70-year-old installations - could you share the most significant technical challenges you encountered and how these influenced your design decisions?
The challenge was to replace the windows with triple-glazed, soundproof ones with increased thermal insulation.It was also difficult to hide the central heating riser running almost in the middle of the newly designed bathroom in the shower cabin pillar.It was also necessary to replace the floor layers and remove the falling plaster.The electrical installation has been completely replaced.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The flat is located in socialism realism Warsaw district which was built from the beginning on the ruin of the destroyed city. Behind monumental buildings elevation designed by best Polish interwar architects we can find perfect quarters urbanism and too small flats regulated by communism standards.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Area: apr 65 sq. m.
Two rooms: salon and bedroom
Kitchen and bathroom - Tags
- Historical Distric, Historical Flat, Socialist Realist District, Bespoke Furniture, Modernization, Renovation, Oak floor, Marble floor, Furniture details
- Production Technology
- New internal space division.
Changing floor leyers.
New Instalations: electrical, plumbing, heating, wentilation.
Bespoke built in furniture and doors.
New multi glass acoustic window.
Oak floor
Waterjet cutted tiles and stones - Design Challenge
- It was a challenge to renew 70 years old ruined interior with damaged installations and leaky windows, to make it corresponding to renovated building.
Searching the history and looking for related objects made the designing process more interesting. - Research
- I am interested in Polish history. Especially architecture.
It was a great pleasure working with the flat located in a historic building of Warsaw socialist realist district.
The building had been modernized with great attention to detail and maintaining its previous look. Interior design of the apartment was made compatible with the architecture of the entire building, - Inspiration
- Built in furniture and doors are corresponding to socialist realism details of the districts elevations. Original interwar artdeco furniture have been found and renovated with respect. It seems intended that they were still produced in Poland till the late fifties.
Paintings of famous Polish artists from half of twentieth century are complimented the interior design. Searching the history and looking for related objects made the designing process more interesting. - Project Duration
- The project started in Nowember 2021. Realization get complited in December 2022.
The apartment is located in the center of Warsaw. - Operation Flow
- It is not often the case that an architect has a chance to work for someone he understands and truly likes. We both wanted to design a luxurious urban apartment for an active businesswoman.
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