Education: grounded at the Kraków Academy
My professional eye for form was shaped at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where I graduated from the Faculty of Industrial Design. There, guided by outstanding teachers, I learned product design, ergonomics and the technologies that turn an artistic vision into a functional object.
Studying at the Faculty of Design and the Faculty of Textiles of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana was a breakthrough. Experiments with new media and textile design, and an international environment, broadened my horizons and shaped my identity as a designer. I understood that luxury lies in nuance, and that good craftsmanship takes time, patience and deep respect for the material.
Beginnings: where detail meets form
My path to original design began with a fascination with structure, texture and precision. Before I gave my heart fully to large-scale furniture, I learned to see beauty on a micro scale as the founder of the premium stationery brand Paper Love. It was there, in geometry, a love of paper and demanding materials, that the philosophy defining my work as Magdalena Tekieli Design was born: an uncompromising pursuit of perfection in every detail.
The path: between technology and high-end craft
Over the years my passion for construction evolved naturally into original furniture and interior design. My portfolio filled with pieces of refined lines, in which wood, brass and traditional Viennese cane gain a new, contemporary context.
Important milestones came with brands for whom design must speak a world-class language. In 2013 I had the honour of joining forces with SONY Poland in the prestigious UNLTD. project. I designed “Cabinet”: a minimalist low commode in solid oak, finished in black piano lacquer and brass, created for the launch of Sony's flagship BRAVIA W9 television.
Another sign of maturity were the pieces created for the iconic Raffles Europejski hotel in Warsaw. Designing objects for such a prestigious, history-filled ultra-premium interior established my position in the world of high-end design.
Timeless in a museum: national heritage
The greatest reward for years of work is the moment when an original vision is recognised as part of the national cultural heritage. A particularly proud stage of my career was when art historians and museum curators recognised my flagship design.
My Secret Desk, a transforming piece that combines fine wood, leather and a hidden crank mechanism, debuted at the monumental exhibition “#dziedzictwo” (#heritage) in the Main Building of the National Museum in Kraków. The exhibition, documenting the key phenomena of Polish identity and design across the centuries, ran from 23 June 2017 to 14 January 2018.
After the exhibition my design was officially included in the permanent state collection. Since December 2021 Secret Desk has been on permanent display in the Szołayski House, a branch of the National Museum in Kraków. In the Gallery of 20th and 21st Century Polish Design “Przedmioty” (Objects) it stands shoulder to shoulder with the most important works of Polish applied art, proof that true quality and timelessness speak for themselves.
My philosophy today
Today, launching a new website under my own name, I offer you furniture that comes from passion, design maturity and uncompromising quality. I work with the best Polish craftsmen to make sure every object that leaves my studio carries a part of my story and becomes a unique part of yours.
National Museum in Kraków
Secret Desk in the permanent collection
On permanent display since December 2021 in the Szołayski House, in the Gallery of 20th and 21st Century Polish Design “Przedmioty” (Objects).
