My name is Maria Rauch. With my help, you can find out what your dream home would be like. And I can also help you to actually create your dream home. In addition, I offer a consultancy service and run workshops. I graduated in Architectural Studies from a technical university in Poland. I also studied at Art School. Two for the price of one :). I’ve been designing homes and their interiors for the last ten years. I’ve worked in Tennessee, Atlanta, NYC, Dublin and Lublin … and if working in Lublin doesn’t impress you, then I don’t know what will ;). In the last few years, I spent most of my time in Warsaw, but I currently live and work not far from Krakow.

I know that the home we live in has a significant influence on our life. That’s why it’s such a pity to spend even one minute living in an environment which feels temporary or does not fully support our life-style. As confirmed by the Gallup personality test, my most prevalent personality type is that of a “fixer”. I like figuring things out and making “something” out of “nothing”. I prefer working with new ideas rather than with ready-made elements. And I know how to make significant changes in an unconventional way so that your dream home will be the best possible one for you. Remember that the purpose of your home is so that you wake up each morning with a smile on your face :)

I was always “doing projects”. My mother is an Architect and, when I was a little girl, I really liked folding the final drawings together with her. And maybe that’s why preparing a project (and every detail that goes with that) is so very important to me. When I was seven years old, I wanted to be a publisher. I published only one issue of a weekly newspaper, and in the cupboard under the TV was a box for potential letters from my readers, meaning the people who lived in our house. Actually my dream of being a mini publishing- house came to fruition not long ago. And because I like working with other people, I invited other authors to take part in the Stolica pod lupą project, which combines personal and unique reflections on hidden places and details of the City of Warsaw.

And where do I work? I’m based in the Młyn Zabierzów  co-working space just outside Krakow. Other designers and I have created there a unique place which has a “summer holiday” atmosphere. With a river and hammocks, as well as desks for doing some actual work :). This is our testing ground for ideas and a venue for workshops. Who said that the summer holidays couldn’t last the whole year long? If you’re curious, feel free to come and visit us :)

What’s it like where I live? At home, I have a hammock, a swing and a ladder for doing Yoga. And a double sink so that two people can make funny faces together in the mirror as they’re brushing their teeth in the morning. But why have it like that? Because that’s the way I like it! My home is the “toy” where I live. And I like the fact that it lets me feel the way I want to feel.
I create designs for all those people who believe that our home’s purpose is for us to wake up every morning with a smile on our face ;).

And what about you? What would put a smile on your face?

I can work with you in several ways: Individual consultation: If you already know what you want or have a specific problem which you want to solve, one discussion in a certain format may be enough to enable you to make the required changes. However, if you need some initial advice, as a result of consulting me, you will know which three things are the highest priority to be changed in the interior of your home in order for you to feel more comfortable there. Meetings take place in the form of questions and answers, usually by email. After such a meeting you will receive from me a clear summary so that you know what to do next (each meeting lasts 90 minutes).
> ask for more details and arrange a meeting

Online consulation: Even if you don’t yet know what you dream home would look like, you’ll find out thanks to this type of meeting. It will feel as if you’re unlocking your day-dreams, as if you’re reading a letter written to you by your best friend, you yourself. Consultation takes place in the form of a conversation over Skype and also working through some materials on your own. You’ll receive a password to those materials and you’ll be able to access them anytime now or in the future from the “Client section” of this website. (each meeting lasts 90 minutes)
> asks for more details and arrange a meeting

Group workshops: Building models, thinking up new ideas and then turning them into solutions in the real world. Prototyping dreams. Aiming for those dreams. Looking at what works, and what doesn’t work. In these workshops, we work together as a group to prototype our dream homes and their interiors. In a relaxed and fun atmosphere, you will learn the skills which will help you to make changes on your own in the interior of your home, changes which will help you to live the way you want to live. (each group consists of a minimum of 8 people, each workshop lasts for 5 hours)
> find out more about workshops.