Nearly 100,000 Poles live or temporarily stay in Norway. For them, the consulate located in the country's capital is often the first place they report to with administrative and civic matters. Architects from the Mili Młodzi Ludzie studio, responsible for the interior design of the Consular Department of the Polish Embassy in Oslo, wanted to create at the same time a functional and modern work environment for officials and a friendly space adapted to the needs of visitors.
Themodernity of the interior of the office for the designers was to be manifested primarily in the functioning of the consulate as an egalitarian, accessible space, conducive to partner contacts and cooperation. The impossibility of interfering with the existing layout of walls or the choice of ceilings (whose height is well below Polish standards) and floors determined the final interior design. The architects decided on a clear division of functions in the public part of the consulate so that the waiting area would be a multifunctional and friendly space for the people staying there, who may often be tired from a long journey, nervous or uncertain.
axonometry; public space
© Nice Young People
The public-access space was planned on the plan of a rectangle, along the longer side of which, right next to the windows, was planned a functional furniture combining: seating - upholstered benches, a bookcase with books, a countertop for filling applications and a play space for children. The place of honor in this part of the interior is occupied by Oskar Zięta 's gold, pumped O-shaped form.
The place of honor in the interior is occupied by Oskar Zięta's golden, pumped form in the shape of the letter O
photo: PION Studio
An important element of the design is the spatial play with letters, forming the word "Poland." They appear on the outside, in the consulate's window, and serve both as an unobtrusive marking of the office for visitors and building the image of Poland among Norwegians. Inside the office, on the other hand, the letters turn out to be for visitors an element of furniture for the waiting area, a sculpture made with FIDU technology or an abstract graphic, the authors of the project write.
The building of the Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Oslo
photo: PION Studio
On the opposite side of the visitors' room are stations for interviews with officials and the entrance to the conference room.
Although most of the space is kept in a light, cool color scheme with a predominance of white and gray, warm color accents in yellow and gold tones and natural materials have been introduced in both the visitors' and employees' areas, giving the office a friendlier, less formalized look, the project authors emphasize.
the hall of interest
photo: PION Studio
An interesting graphic - an image of the Cloth Hall - completes the whole design:
in the corridor connecting the public and employee areas, on the walls and ceiling golden lines are arranged in their shape, appearing as a result of the optical play used - anamorphosis. It can be used, for example, as a contribution to a conversation with the consul's guests, but it is also a fascinating element in the official space, giving it lightness and depriving it of the austerity that increases the atmosphere of seriousness, the designers add.
In the corridor connecting the public and staff areas, on the walls and ceiling golden lines are arranged in the shape of the Cloth Hall
photo: PION Studio
In the well-decorated interior, the architects opted mainly for designs by Polish artists - reproductions of poster masters such as Ryszard Kaja, Wieslaw Rosocha, Andrzej Zbrożek, Roman Kalarus and Jerzy Gluszek, as well as paintings by Jacek Sienicki hang on the walls, while the consul's office features the iconic RM58 armchairs by Roman Modzelewski.
