As a recent addition to the Rapson-Inc. team, this is my inaugurating piece in a succession of weekly blog articles. Through these entries, I hope introduce our readers and clients to Ralph Rapson as an architect and furniture designer, as well as unveil the behind-the-scenes and lesser known stories of his prolific career and influential designs.

Our most recent sale is proof that word of a good thing travels far and wide. On Valentine’s Day, a custom Rapson Rapid Rocker made its journeyto Warsaw, Poland, to the headquarters of the renowned architectural firm, Kurylowicz & Associates. Shown below are the photos of the chair under production. Purchased by Ewa Kurylowicz, Owner and General Designer of the firm, the chair is to be used in her new apartment on the top floor of the ultra sleek Nowe Powi?le residential complex designed by her firm. I was curious to hear how Ms. Kurylowicz had heard about the Rapson-Inc. furniture, so I fired off a few questions, to which she and her son, Marek, most graciously replied to.

 1.       How did you hear about the new line of reproduction pieces by Rapson-Inc?

Ewa: My son and his wife helped me  finding the corresponding links In Internet

Marek: It was recommended to us by one of our interior designers. My mother, the general designer at our company was looking for a rocking chair to her new apartment and sent a query around our office asking for tips. She received several proposals and picked your product.

2.       Do you have any personal or professional connection to the late Ralph Rapson?

Ewa: None, unfortunately

3.       What made you decide on the chair you purchased?

Ewa: Its grace , form and looks (also colours)

[photo credits: Rapson-Inc.]

4.       Where will this chair be used? Is it a personal purchase or for a client?

Ewa: It is a personal purchase but , In fact- semi personal , because I am an owner of a  relatively big architectural office and I use my  personal projects for the business purposes too.The chair will be In my appartment which is located on the top floor of Nowe Powi?le residential complex, designed by us, which You can see on our Web site

Marek: It's a personal purchase for my mothers new apartment located in the new premium residential complex designed by our studio. The investment is called nowe powi?le, it can be found on our website.

I have been browsing through the Kurylowicz & Associates website, and you have many many beautiful projects in your portfolio -

Ewa: Thank  You

5.       Do you have a favorite project? If so, which one and why?

Ewa: I do not have the one which I would especially like. All  projects , especially the ones my team was designing (before my husband’s  tragic death last June) I was a  head of one of 6 design teams our Office consists of, responsible for  i.e. buidlings like  Mariott Hotel, Office building Wolf Marsz?akowska, EMI  Pomaton, Fuji Fotex, all single family house designer and built by us, including the one In Kazimierz

Marek: We have a saying that our favourite project is the one we are working on right now and the ones ahead but if you are asking about the ones we like to brag the most about I would point out the HQ for LOT airlines. It's a minimalistic and very technologically refined building with  many connections to aviation itself.

6.       I particularly love the private house at Kazimierz. What was the inspiration for this house? Could you share any interesting stories related to his project?

Ewa: I am very pleased since it is my and my team’ s design (see above). This is the house we planned to be our private  retreat from the crowded Warsaw, in a very beautiful renaissance town on Vistula River, 140 km south from Warsaw, a place for family meetings. The inspiration was the local architecture and very specific location on the escarpment.  It was built In 2006  with the use of local  limestone. It is a so-called passive house, with the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system. Majority of the furniture was designed by us (also my husband himself), the fire place was designed by the artist and finished with the use of hand made ceramic tiles. Together with my husband, we used to work at the Faculty of Architecture, at the Warsaw University of Technology as the professors and this house was also planned to be a place for the seminars with our  students. Now, when I remained alone, I still plan to conduct these meetings with them, twice a year, if my work at the Office (70 architects) which I am now running with my son Marek and my friend Piotr Kuczynski, allows for it. The house gained quite a big popularity and, like many other our design was widely published In Polish architectural magazines.

You are welcome to visit it when You come to Poland!

Caroline Engel for Rapson-Inc.