Two founders, one Floriańska workshop
Gentle Babyhood Rooms began when Marta Kowalczyk, an interiors graduate who grew up above a bakery near Planty, renovated her sister's first nursery in a third-floor kamienica on ul. Szpitalna. The room had three-and-a-half-metre ceilings, a single north window, and a radiator that dictated every furniture placement. Working with timber joiner Piotr Nowak—who had spent a decade fitting wardrobes into Kraków old-town apartments—they realised children's rooms in historic stock need a different method than suburban new-builds.
They opened a small studio at ul. Floriańska 22 so families could walk in after visiting the nearby Cloth Hall, leave measurements of awkward alcoves, and leave with drawings that respect cornices instead of covering them.
Kamienice, high ceilings, and winter light
Kraków apartments teach humility. Deep window reveals swallow daylight by mid-afternoon in December; tall walls amplify echo if you hang only hard surfaces; stairwells limit the size of furniture that can even enter the flat. Our founders learned to design for these constraints first: low storage under windows, soft acoustics with curtains and rugs, and lighting layers that work when the sky stays pewter for weeks.
Kazimierz lofts bring different puzzles—open plans, industrial columns, and shared walls with neighbours who keep late hours. Stare Miasto flats often retain original parquet that must stay, so we plan rugs and crib placement to protect rather than replace those floors.
Why children's rooms only
After a few early adult living-room commissions, Marta and Piotr chose to focus exclusively on nurseries and children's bedrooms. The decisions differ: sleep hygiene, edge safety, storage that a parent can reach one-handed while holding a baby, and layouts that still make sense when a toddler starts climbing. Specialising means they can keep a short supplier list of low-emission paints, rounded-edge joinery details, and textiles that wash well in Polish winters when windows stay closed.
How the studio works with you
Projects usually begin with a home visit so they can feel the room's orientation and hear how the household actually uses the flat—grandparents visiting from the suburbs, a home office next door, a courtyard that funnels noise. Drawings stay practical: floor plans, elevation sketches for built-ins, and a finish schedule you can hand to painters and carpenters. Installation is coordinated with your building administrator when stairwell bookings are required.
Roots in the Old Town, clients across the city
The Floriańska address anchors the brand, yet most work happens in family homes from Salwator to Nowa Huta renovations and newer estates in the west. Wherever you live, the studio brings the same respect for Polish building quirks and the same calm palette of mint, soft rose, and charcoal. You can meet them by appointment at the studio or invite them to your address.