Hybrid Interior BXB studio

The history of this project dates back to 2018, when Bogusław Barnaś, founder of BXB Studio, decided to carry out an unprecedented pre-COVID transformation of a traditional office into a studio operating remotely. At that time, we terminated the lease of our office on Krakowska Street in Kraków’s Old Town, which had accommodated a dozen-person team. In its place, a small unit in Kraków’s Zabłocie became the main meeting place and permanent working space for Bogusław Barnaś. We didn’t realize then that this bold decision would not only improve our quality of life but also significantly enhance the efficiency of our work – both creatively and economically. We gained a tremendous amount of free time thanks to the elimination of daily commuting and the ability to work from anywhere, which dramatically transformed our lifestyle.

A year later, it turned out that not only were we fully prepared for the pandemic, but also that other studios were beginning to adopt a fully remote model. We decided to expand our central headquarters in Kraków with a new location in the capital. New members joined our team, not only from Warsaw but also from other regions of the country. The distributed team proved to be another advantage, making it easier for us to implement projects scattered across various parts of Poland and the world. 

The International Property Award is one of the most recognized and respected global distinctions and a world-renowned mark of quality. The International Property Awards were first presented in London in 1993. Since then, the competition has steadily grown in popularity and prestige, achieving international reach and attracting architectural studios from more and more countries. Over time, the prestigious awards began to be granted by world regions – in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. 

“The project is interesting because, within a single unit, we designed both a space for creative work and a private space – a micro-apartment. This project touches upon the philosophy of our studio, remote work, which we embraced even before the pandemic. This interior houses our architectural models, an original mural inspired by our House with a Cave project, which reached the finals of the World Architecture Festival, sculptures by Piotr Popiacki, and paintings by renowned artists, including Adam Patrzyk. Two of the sculptures were commissioned specifically for this space, directly referencing our creative work – the cast-iron Scorpion forms a coffee table, symbolizing our Scorpio nuclear shelters, while the Wawel Dragon sculpture not only relates to our project and the mural inside the interior but also to our origins – since we came to the capital from Kraków.” Bogusław Barnaś, BXB Studio 

Our new location is situated in an artistic district, in Warsaw’s Praga, on Grodzieńska Street. This exceptional building, designed by the TZA studio, was recognized as the best residential building in Warsaw, receiving the Mayor of Warsaw’s Award. What also distinguishes it is the extraordinary setting – lush greenery and historic tenement houses of the old Praga district, which is experiencing an unprecedented revival. It attracts creators, architects, artists, entrepreneurs, startups, dozens of art galleries, museums, and restaurants. 

The Warsaw headquarters of BXB Studio was established in a modest 70 m² unit, which was redesigned into an unusual hybrid functional layout – approximately 50 m² serves as the workspace, accessible to the BXB Studio team and our clients. The remaining 20 m² accommodates a designed micro-apartment within the premises.

The micro-apartment is a space that can be freely configured. It can function as a three-room arrangement – bedroom, wardrobe, and bathroom. It can also become an open space resembling a bathing lounge. Another option is to connect the wardrobe with the bedroom while keeping the bathroom enclosed.

The workspace is an open zone of a table, sofa, and office area, which can be acoustically separated with a folding glass wall. This area also contains an entrance hall, storage, bathroom, and two balconies surrounded by greenery, which during summer transform into outdoor workspaces. These two zones – the micro-apartment and the studio – are separated by a wall finished with an original mural depicting an artistic interpretation of our Kraków project, the House with a Cave, inspired by the legend of the Wawel Dragon. Hidden within this wall is a discreet door – a passage to the private area. On this wall we also placed a sculpture of the Wawel Dragon, custom-made by Warsaw artist Piotr Popiacki. The sculpture is also a story about our origins, as we came from Kraków.

But this is not the only sculpture in the space. Another notable element is a unique sculpted coffee table in the sofa area by BoConcept. This table is also a work by Piotr Popiacki, depicting a scorpion, which has become a symbol of BXB Studio’s modern nuclear shelter designs, the Scorpio House.

When designing the Hybrid Interior of BXB Studio, we decided to demolish all existing partition walls. This allowed us to gain nearly 2 m² of additional space. The unit, which previously contained four rooms, now features two spacious open areas that emphasize the regular layout of the building’s numerous windows. Between the corridor and the office, we also chose not to build a permanent wall. Instead, the space is divided by a two-sided veneer-built structure, which forms wardrobes, storage for office equipment and printers, and illuminated display shelves for architectural models. Within this structure, on the entrance hall side, is located the first original piece of furniture designed by BXB Studio – the Puff Uff. This is both a comfortable seat and a small storage unit. 

The Puff Uff is no longer the only piece of furniture designed by BXB Studio. We are currently prototyping other designs, including the Lotus Flower sofa, the Wave coffee table, and the DNA table – all of which are protected by design patents. 

The BXB Studio interior is enriched with other creative accents. Ceramics, cups, trays, and vases with diverse textures and colors are the work of Marta Mączka, who, under the Cesele brand, creates handmade, original forms. In the office area, one can find the Plopp stool by Oskar Zięta and the lemon squeezer by Philippe Starck. A colorful highlight of this zone is the 366 chair by Chierowski, restored by a friend passionate about Polish furniture from the communist era. The minimalist Narbutas desk was carefully chosen to provide transparency in the space, much like the sliding glass wall. The sofa area is complemented with a wool rug, oak armchairs, and magazine holders.

The entire interior maintains muted tones – earthy colors, beiges, and oak wood textures. Nearby, there is an oak table by Loft Decora and four delicate oak chairs by Dorian, with linen fabric seats. The AXO Light lamp hanging above the table provides a striking accent in the space, strongly framing the axial view from the hall. Made of fabric consistent in color and texture with the window treatments, it diffuses light subtly within the interior.

The numerous windows frame extraordinary views of the surrounding trees. The largest tree grows right next to the main balcony and is perceived as one of the most important elements of the space – a living sculpture, changing colors with the seasons. The balcony is furnished with wooden furniture, while the trees also serve as a natural buffer for sunlight – providing shade in summer and allowing precious rays of light in winter.

This space is also equipped with an external solar-powered shutter system with adjustable blinds by Bubendorf. Powered entirely by solar energy, it regulates the interior temperature so effectively that the installation of air conditioning proved unnecessary. The entire western wall has been additionally fitted with interior blinds to provide controlled daylight filtering.

Artificial lighting was also carefully designed. In the sofa area, two New Works lamps provide soft, subdued, uniform illumination. Meanwhile, spot and linear lighting highlight the models and works of art. The kitchen was created as a minimalist, discreet space that integrates well into the creative office environment. Selected accents in the office area are finished in black – the entrance door, selected lamps, the office desk, office chair, and the library shelving. The guest bathroom adjoining the workspace is also maintained in shades of black. From the outside, it features oak flush doors reaching the ceiling, while the interior is finished with black lacquer. Its equipment includes a glass shower enclosure, black Omnires fixtures – a rain shower and basin tap – and black Simas ceramics. 

Fascinated by Popiacki’s work, we also acquired his third sculpture – Hybris – which came to us directly from the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, where it had long adorned the interior of Michał Żebrowski’s Sixth Floor Theatre. The space, thus arranged and filled with art, harmonizes with the architectural models located here. The most prominent among them is the Eco Warsaw Tower, recognized as the most ecological project in Poland in 2018, and the Polish Farmstead, the most awarded single-family house from Poland worldwide. In total, there are more than ten architectural models of buildings designed by BXB Studio displayed here. 

In the open creative space of BXB Studio, we also placed an easel, serving as a gallery for the latest addition to Bogusław Barnaś’s art collection. Barnaś has been passionate about painting since childhood. The most important painting at Grodzieńska 19, however, is a work by Adam Patrzyk, strongly accentuating the private micro-apartment zone. Hung above the bed, against wallpaper with vertical grooves, the painting shines with the glow of its intense colors in the otherwise monochromatic space. This painting, from the Library series by the renowned Częstochowa-based artist, was first encountered by Bogusław while designing the House with an Apple Tree in Kraków’s Zakrzówek. At that time, BXB Studio’s clients requested that a Patrzyk painting from their collection become the heart of their interior. Since then, the artist’s works, particularly the Library cycle, have held a special place for the architect. 

The second bathroom, located in the monochromatic graphite-toned micro-apartment, was designed in contrast with bright colors. Here, light hues and natural oak wood textures dominate, alongside sand-colored tiles, black details such as handles, sconces, and Omnires taps, complemented by white AXA Ceramica sanitaryware and a striking free-standing Omnires bathtub. The various functional zones of the graphite micro-apartment are divided with custom-made partitions. Tall, ceiling-height double doors allow the bathroom to open spaciously into the adjoining bedroom. The wardrobe is divided by graphite sliding lattice panels, creating a unique interplay of light and space depending on their position. The bedroom’s visual size is enhanced with three large mirrors, while the accessories, as in other zones, are finished in black or oak. 

The Hybrid Interior of BXB Studio represents a new definition of architectural studio work, both aesthetically, as a lifestyle, and in terms of organization. At BXB Studio, this proven formula appears to be the right answer not only to the technological possibilities we now have but also to the challenges of shaping a sustainable future. Within this approach, BXB Studio has become both local and global – just like our buildings, rooted in tradition yet modern and ecological. 

On one hand, the BXB Studio team has become more connected with their place of residence, families, and homeland at an individual level. On the other hand, as an organization, we have become more global, freed from limitations, more accessible, and more distributed. Nevertheless, we preserved the possibility of meeting and building bonds through our local hybrid office spaces. We have noticed that these meetings are more efficient, as they are held with a specific purpose, not as part of a daily routine. Most importantly, we have gained an individual, more democratic system of work. For some, this means the ability to work at convenient hours or closer contact with home and family; for others – a more comfortable creative environment. As architect Bogusław Barnaś himself says – it is easier for him to create in an intimate individual space than in a shared environment such as a traditional office. 

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