The Nature of the Product – Końskie Group x DesignNature
For many years, in the production of our tiles, we have been striving to care for nature and act in harmony with ecology. That is why Końskie Group became a partner of this year's Design Summer School created by DesignNature under the motto Elements.
The production of ceramic tiles is closely connected with nature, ecology, and care for natural resources. All four elements — earth, water, air, and fire — are part of the production process, in which everything is interdependent, interconnected, and interrelated. That is why each week of workshops was dedicated to one of the Elements.
Why did we take part in the workshops in Sobole?
Końskie Group has been producing ceramic tiles for 33 years. Throughout all these years, we have planned our production in accordance with respect for ecology and care for the natural environment.
We are a company aware of the changes happening in the world, aware of the impact we have on the environment, and aware that the younger generation — who are at the stage of choosing their direction in professional and personal life — are our future.
They will soon decide what this world will look like, and they will have the greatest influence on it. We wanted to understand how they perceive this world, and the best opportunity to learn their point of view was the patronage of Design Summer School, as the workshop participants are mainly students or young designers.
We had to adapt to the changes taking place — they were born into such a world. We are still learning recycling, a conscious approach to products, and above all conscious choices; for them, it is natural.
Moreover, for the topic we chose for the workshop, we could not have found a better place to explore it than the DesignNature campus.
What is DesignNature and Design Summer School?
Design Summer School
In the face of the challenges of the modern world, we need a shift in education towards a holistic perspective and interdisciplinary work, where creativity and well-being are supported, integrated, and strengthened through collaboration. Design Summer School is interdisciplinary teamwork, stimulating conceptual and experimental design processes to create projects and build prototypes — so much creative fun in one week. It is a unique opportunity to work hands-on with cutting-edge technologies, surrounded by the soothing and inspiring nature of the DesignNature campus in Sobole.
The Campus
The creative campus in Sobole is located in an inspiring area near Warsaw, in the rural surroundings of eastern Poland. It hosts international design, architectural, and cultural workshops, as well as artist/designer residencies, exhibitions, and events. The property is a historic manor park estate of over 4 hectares, featuring historical architecture, an old park, and a river. It includes a 100-year-old, well-preserved wooden manor house restored for guest groups, and a brick outbuilding soon to be modernised into a contemporary cultural centre. The ensemble is complemented by the contemporary architecture of a multidisciplinary R&D centre, designed in collaboration by Medusa Group and Studio Rygalik.
DesignNature is a community built on shared values of holistic, sustainable design, respect for nature, and an appetite for good living — connecting people, organisations, and businesses to stimulate unique creative synergies.
We live in an age of realising that as humanity we have made many mistakes in the development of our civilisation. This creates a growing need to reset our values and development goals, and to act quickly and effectively. It requires both learning and unlearning in entirely new ways, as well as delving into the true purpose for which we are on this planet and what we can do wisely by joining forces with nature.
Where did the idea for this theme come from?
Not everyone is aware, but ceramic tile is a natural product. It does not come directly from nature, but all the ingredients needed for its production are natural.
The element of earth forms the production base — clays, sands, and feldspars. Water is essential to bind everything together. Fire fires and fixes. Air cools and removes moisture. Without the combination of these four elements, no tile could be made.
Of course, ecology is never overlooked in the production process. Tiles that do not pass quality control are not discarded — they are reprocessed as a component of the clay body. The water cycle is closed: water passes through the production line multiple times, is purified, and returned to the water supply. Heat generated by the production kilns is redirected to roller dryers and to heating the production halls.
Everything related to production is connected to the elements, which is why the theme became an obvious choice — as was the choice of venue, since all the pillars on which the DesignNature campus is built are identical to the values our company represents.
How did the workshops unfold?
It can be summed up in one word — process. In brief: we introduced the company, explained why we were there, and left participants under the guidance of the facilitators with a completely open theme of one element — earth, fire, air, or water. This was intentional, as we did not want to impose outcomes on their work.
Participants most often interpreted the theme of the elements in two ways: technically, as an installation or finished product, or as a performance. This remarkable openness and originality never ceased to surprise us.
This extraordinary openness and unconventional approach never failed to surprise. The projects often evoked childhood memories, and sometimes stirred emotions that could be overwhelming — like a hole in the ground, passing through a fiery portal, an air performance, a story about vibration, or swampy intentions.
The element of fire will probably linger in memory the longest, due to its deeply emotional nature, but also because during those workshops our products served as a foundation or an enhancement for the projects — for example, as a bridge to crossing into another dimension…
Of course, the other workshops were equally marked by highly creative projects and an unconventional approach both to the ceramic tile and to the subject matter.
Workshops
The workshops were attended mainly by students from universities and higher education institutions, as well as young designers. In addition, employees of Grupa Końskie also had the opportunity to take part — most often those involved in creative work, such as graphic design and new pattern development. It was very important to us that as many people from our company as possible could experience this adventure, and that each person could go through the design process.
The workshop leaders, alongside Tomek and Gosia Rygalik, were Lia Forslund — a strategist and designer — and Franek Wardyński (artist and graphic designer).
EARTH
The element of earth symbolises grounding and stability. The first workshops resulted in four diverse projects touching on transience, the connection of two worlds, bidding farewell to the old world, and above all respect for the natural environment.
FIRE
Fire in many respects represents life force, energy, and passion — and so was this group of participants. Two projects allowed active participation in a performance: one paid homage to contemporary art by offering passage to another dimension; the other invited gathering around a campfire evoking memories of long summer nights.
AIR
The element of air — the most subtle, representing lightness, clarity, and movement. One of the most interesting outcomes was a return to the past: a group recreated the springiness of air trapped in soil by designing a trampoline made from natural materials — pine cones, dry grass, and small wooden tiles — inspired by our products.
WATER
Water — imagine its various forms: a flowing stream, hard ice, or hot and fleeting steam. Water is above all flow, symbolising constant change and the ability to adapt. The final workshops were very fruitful. One of the most interesting projects was the creation of an intimate space near a water outlet — designed for sharing secrets, first summer dates, or a kind of meditation.
What did it give the company?
Końskie Group — including Stargres and Ceramica Bianca — is taking its first steps into the awareness of the architectural and design industry. Through the patronage of Design Summer School, we send a clear message: we are an open company, committed to education, and care for the environment is important to us.
What are the plans for the future?
Końskie Group is far from corporate structures, which results in a shortened decision-making path, allowing us to respond quickly to ever-changing conditions and invest in development and education. As is well known, education means awareness — and here we return once again to the theme of the workshops. After the summer season, we continue exploring themes connected to the elements. The topic is far from exhausted, and we have no shortage of ideas for developing it further. When entering this or any other initiative, we always choose brands represented by experts in their field, because quality is our priority.
