By combining cultural practices and building its experimental identity, a designer is strengthening Poland’s brand.

With a penchant for resourceful creativity driven by a focus on utility, Tomek Rygalik is rapidly establishing a name for himself as an icon of modern Polish furniture design. He established Studio Rygalik 13 years ago and has since supplied projects for Cappellini, Ghidini, Heineken, Ikea, Moroso, Polin Museum, Siemens and his recently established brand Tre Product. Operating out of Warsaw,  Rygalik puts a spotlight on the interaction between design, space, and function – ideals which have formed the foundations of his career.

Tomek Rygalik‘s studio designs an assortment of furniture and limited edition products. From skillfully constructed solid structures to artistically thought-provoking creations, Rygalik’s team blends cultural influences with minimal modernism. Tre Product, a brand established by Rygalik, encompasses the notion that simplicity is key and aims to produce simple, honest products that are timeless solutions for everyday life.

Rygalik’s family background was in engineering, and it was a combination of this and his keen interest in social issues which prompted an interest in design – he studied architecture and urban planning at the Technical University of Łódź, and Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York, where he was awarded the Pratt Circle Award for outstanding achievement in his field. 

Despite obtaining a position at the Royal College of Art, upon earning his MA, Rygalik eventually chose to pursue an independent career, valuing the importance of fresh, innovative design and new approaches. In fact, it was his observations in childhood of his father forging items hard to obtain in Communist Poland that led him to conclude that overcoming difficulties should be essential features of design. 

Above all, though, his work is site-specific. Studio Rygalik – which he runs alongside his partner Gosia Rygalik – interacts with the needs of its users and with attention to production and commercial potential. And, as it stands, this approach is certainly paying off. 

Photo Credit: Studio Rygalik