MIXD utilized colors, patterns, fun finishes to complete a fresh space for the Student Depot Poznań in Poznań, Poland.

How to reconcile the monumental style of a former luxury communist hotel with the freshness, energy, and dynamics of a contemporary student residence? The designers from MIXD managed to successfully fuse both worlds while designing the common areas of the private student dormitory, Student Depot Poznań.

The Polonez hotel in Poznań was one of the flagship Polish hotel investments of the 1970s, built to serve visitors to the Poznań Fair. This monumental building (408 rooms!) has been finished to a high standard of the time: there were marble floors, granite wall cladding, and wooden paneling. The whole is equipped with custom-designed furniture.

When it turned out that students would take the place of businessmen and fair visitors, this colorful past turned out to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the MIXD design team, but also a challenge.

Today, the spacious hotel lobby is divided into several smaller zones assigned to various activities of young people. “We did not change the interior layout – we used fabrics and floor coverings to separate the zones. ”- describes Anna Stachi. On the right side, there is a reception – built in the spirit of #reuse of beautiful red marble recovered during renovation.

Opposite it there is a cafe – with contemporary Fameg furniture referring to the vintage style Next to the reception desk there is a high coworking table, built on the basis of the former hotel reception. Further on the same side, we have a game room. This zone is distinguished by a relaxing turquoise color and a fun accent in the form of a tub filled with balls. In the TV zone located opposite, we have two hits: spacious, comfortable sofas and a popcorn machine. On the opposite side of the lobby, far from the noisy entertainment zone, there is a silent workroom – the only permanently separated room.

Design: MIXD
Design Team: Piotr Kalinowski, Joanna Mazurek, Anna Stachi, Anna Kosecka, Agnieszka Kaczara, Martina Mirecki, Igor Demuth, Stepan Symynets, Jakub Bąk, Maja Ratuszniak, Julia Iwańczuk
Photography: PION Studio