Poppies That Bloomed in Paris
It all begins with a drop of molten glass at the end of a blowpipe. There is no mould or tool dictating the shape. There is only the glassmaker, their hands and movement. The glass slowly sways from side to side, almost like a pendulum, while gravity and the master’s instinct do the rest. The shape emerges on its own, as if the glass already knew what it wanted to become. Moments later, a poppy in deep crystal red hangs from the end of the blowpipe.
A few weeks later, those poppies were standing on our stand in Paris, while people from all over the world leaned in and asked: how is it made?
Paris, 1,700 brands and one table
Maison&Objet is one of those places where you can experience design from every direction at once. This year, around 1,700 brands from 49 countries came together. There was furniture from Copenhagen, textiles from Milan and lighting from Tokyo. And there was us, KROSNO 1923, with a history we wanted to tell in our own way at last.
We did not come only with new products. We came with a question we have been asking ourselves for some time: what are we? A glassworks where glass is made, or a brand with something to say? Our answer is: from glassworks to brand. Paris was the first place where we said it out loud.
The people behind Polish glass
When preparing the exhibition, we went back into the archives. We were looking not so much for objects as for people.
Wszewłod Sarnecki. Jan Kosiński. Jerzy Maraj. Janina Szopa. Joanna Lorens. Anna Grabowska-Szczur. Wanda Zawidzka-Manteuffel.
To many people, these may be just names. To us, they are the designers who, over 80 years, from 1946 to the present day, helped build what we call the Polish School of Glass Design. They designed at a time when materials had to be fought for and “design” was not yet a fashionable word. Yet their work had character: bold forms, distinctive colours and a rhythm of its own. Many of their designs spent years on shelves in Polish homes. Someone drank tea from those glasses; someone placed lilacs from their garden in one of those vases. Few people stopped to wonder who had designed them.
In Paris, we wanted to change that. We presented their work side by side, as a conversation between several generations. One of the most important moments for us was the revival of a design by Wanda Zawidzka-Manteuffel. There is something special about seeing a form designed decades ago emerge from the furnace once again – and discovering that nothing needs to be changed.
Why poppies?
At the heart of the stand were THE POPPY RED, hand-formed poppies in crystal red.
The poppy has long been a flower of remembrance. For us, it is a tribute to the Polish glass designers who left behind something more lasting than themselves: art that continues to inspire and recognition that has survived across generations. Their designs still live on in homes, collections and museums, passed from one pair of hands to another.
Every red poppy on our stand was a small tribute to them. Through it, we were saying: we remember, and we keep moving forward, because you showed us the way.
No two poppies are identical. Each one is made freehand, and each carries the movement of the glassmaker who created it: their pace, their instinct, their day. This is precisely where we see what is most valuable in our work – in the space between a design and the hands of the craftsperson. It is a tool that can still be used to say something new.
Paris understood that. The poppies stopped people who had not planned to stop at all. Some took photographs, others stood and looked for a long time, while some came back the next day with someone they had to show them to.
The poppies are now travelling out into the world: to jewellery fairs, design events, luxury boutiques and hotels. Soon, they will also be heading to Asia, including China and South Korea.
Glass and ceramics at the same table
There was another important element on our stand: a shared table. We sat around it together with Zakłady Ceramiczne “BOLESŁAWIEC”.
Glass and ceramics are two different materials, two different traditions and two different crafts. And yet, when placed side by side, it immediately became clear that they speak the same language. The language of Polish design: thoughtful, handmade and rooted in history.
The table quickly became something more than a display. We talked there about how Polish design does not have to be a collection of individual successes. It can be a shared story – one that is easier to hear when several voices tell it together.
Five days that will stay with us
Over five days, our stand welcomed architects, interior designers, professionals from the premium hospitality and gastronomy sectors, distributors and buyers from many parts of the world. There were business cards, notes scribbled on the spot and follow-up meetings already in the diary. We are returning with concrete contacts and projects that we will be developing over the coming months.
But what we remember most is something else. Polish designers who happened to be in Paris came to our stand. They looked at the pieces, touched the glass and told us they were proud to see Polish design represented on one of the world’s most important design stages.
It is hard to imagine a better review.
Thank you
We would like to thank our team: the designers, glassmakers and everyone working across logistics, sales and communications who spent weeks bringing this presentation together. Thank you to everyone who visited us in Paris and stopped by the poppies, even if only for a moment. And thank you to Zakłady Ceramiczne “BOLESŁAWIEC” for sharing the table and the story with us.
Behind us are 80 years of Polish glass design. Ahead of us is the next chapter.
Paris, see you again.
