Profile: katarzyna kubrak – Only Natural Design Competitions

katarzyna kubrak

Parsons School of Design

Katarzyna Kubrak is an emerging product designer originally from Warsaw, Poland, and currently a part of the vibrant design scene of New York. A student of product design at Parsons, The New School, she also channels her creativity into the art of glass blowing, studying at Brooklyn Glass. Alongside her academic work, Katarzyna is a studio manager for resin artist Jason Young and assists other artists such as painter and sculptor Caroll Diamond. Supporting a range of creative practices allows her to stay closely connected to material processes while expanding her perspective through collaboration. Katarzyna loves to immerse herself in the culture and techniques of specific places through hands-on work and connections with people who are eager to pass on their craft knowledge. Her design philosophy centers around exploring the raw forms and inherent properties of materials. She works primarily with clay, metal, wood, and glass—drawing from traditional making methods while pushing them into experimental territory. This approach allows her to learn from the material itself, constantly testing and expanding its possibilities. In Portugal, she engaged deeply with the country’s strong design culture through time at the historic ceramic factory Bordallo Pinheiro and later at Amorim, the world’s leading cork producer. At Amorim, she developed and produced a series of lamps combining cork’s natural fire-resistant properties with blown glass—works that were later showcased at Milan Design Week 2025. In her practice, Katarzyna continues to explore biomaterials like clay and cork, drawn to their unique qualities, sustainability, and the space they offer for creative experimentation.

Website

← →

OVO Modular Lighting System

Category: Interior

Competitions: Home Competition 2025

OVO is a modular lighting system rooted in slowness, care, and the poetics of nature. At its heart is the ostrich eggshell — a discarded byproduct of the food industry, now transformed into something luminous and lasting. Each shell carries subtle imperfections, variations, and history — fragile yet strong, it behaves like a natural form of porcelain. But unlike porcelain, it wasn’t manufactured — it was made by nature. The lamp doesn’t hide this material; it highlights it. Held in place by a precise aluminum structure, the egg glows softly from within, diffusing light in a way that feels both ancient and intimate. This contrast — between the raw, organic shell and the engineered metal — creates a quiet tension that invites reflection. OVO isn’t just about sustainability in a technical sense — it’s about emotional sustainability. It asks the user to participate through assembly, to take time, and to engage with the object slowly and with intention. That act of building becomes a form of care — a small ritual that strengthens the bond between person and object. In a world dominated by speed and disposability, OVO offers a moment of stillness. It reconnects us to the environment not only through its materials but also through the attention it demands. It’s more than a lamp. It’s a reminder — that beauty can be slow, that nature makes perfect things, and that we’re invited to be part of the process.