Marta Nowicka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marta Nowicka is a Polish-British interior architect, property developer, and academic, known for her award-winning designs in adaptive re-use architecture. Her work encompasses many projects, including residential and commercial spaces that focus on building re-use and site-specific designs. She is a recipient of the Architects' Journal (AJ) Retrofit Award.
Marta Nowicka | |
|---|---|
| Born | Westminster, London |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | Kingston University |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1988-present |
| Organization | DOMstay |
| Known for | Interior architecture |
| Television | Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke |
| Awards | AJ Retrofit Award |
| Website | Official profile |
Early life and education
Marta Nowicka was born to a first-generation immigrant Polish family in 1964 in Westminster, London. Her father, Leszek Nowicki, was a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) member. He was one of the Ronald Ward & Partners design team architects for London's Millbank complex.[1] Her mother, Elizabeth Nowicka née Modelska, was a fashion designer and owned Lizzy Boutique on Old Brompton Road in the 60s and 70s.[2]
Nowicka interned at her father's firm before attending an art foundation course and then an interior architecture degree under Fred Scott, Alan Phillips and Ben Kelly at Kingston University.[3] The course was integral in her developing a passion for converting existing buildings to new uses.[3]
Career
Nowicka's career began working at various London architectural practices. In 1993, she co-founded her first business, Nowicka Stern and co-designed Fabric, Hanover Grand Nightclub, and Cyberia, the first internet café in London.[3]
In 2003, she launched Nowicka & CO and introduced clients to a new interior design style focused on a site-specific narrative.[4] Here, her designs, which retained details from the original structure, set her apart from other designers. Clients include Karsten Schubert, Gavin Turk,[5] Peter Peri, Michael Landy and Gillian Wearing.[5][6]
Alongside her client work, Nowicka also did property development.[7][8] As a result, she changed her business model. She switched focus for her design consultancy to create DOMstay (originally DOMstay&live).[9]
Notable work
Among Nowicka's notable projects is the former St John's Ambulance Station in E.Sussex, which she converted into a 4-bedroom home. She preserved its architectural integrity while introducing modern elements that mix medieval and references to modern medicine.[10][11][12] The property was featured on Channel 4's Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke,[13] was a finalist for the World Architecture Awards and has received the AJ Retrofit Award in the house under £250,000 category.[14]
Nowicka is also known for converting a 45m2 garage into a 126m2 three-bedroom home, The Gouse, a portmanteau of garage and house.[15] The house features cedar shingles and yellow stock brick, designed to improve the street elevation and blend with the end-of-garden surroundings.[16]