Interior Designers Are No Longer a Luxury: 63% of Poles Would Use Free Professional Help

Interior design is becoming a mainstream service in Poland rather than a luxury reserved for wealthy households. According to a Castorama-commissioned survey, 63% of Poles say they would use free help from a professional interior designer. More than half expect a designer to understand their needs and lifestyle, while functionality and budget remain almost equally important. The survey, conducted as part of Castorama's 'Liczy się wnętrze' campaign, found that 52% of respondents expect a designer to understand how they live, 51% want functional solutions and 48% expect the project to fit their budget. 'The design-services market is developing dynamically in Poland. This is no longer a service reserved only for customers with the biggest budgets. Consumers are looking for inspiration, and this will increasingly become the starting point for creating their living spaces,' Marcin Filipiak, marketing director at Castorama Polska, told Newseria. Functionality matters more than decoration For 77% of respondents, a well-designed interior should above all reflect the personality, needs and lifestyle of the people who live there. When asked what matters most while furnishing a home, 65% pointed to functionality and comfort, 60% to feeling good in the space and 49% to matching the home to their lifestyle and needs. The way a home is arranged is also closely linked to wellbeing. As many as 86% of respondents said interior design has a major or very major impact on everyday comfort, 85% linked it to the feeling of being 'at home', 84% to the ability to rest and unwind, 82% to daily wellbeing and 76% to relationships and spending time together. Aleksandra Borycka, customer and digital director at Castorama Polska, said Polish consumers have become increasingly conscious of what they want from their homes. She noted that housing has long played a role in identity and status in Poland, but expectations are shifting toward spaces that are both more modern and more functional. Castorama has been developing a network of dedicated Design Studios since 2025. It currently operates 14 standalone locations, while more than 450 designers work for the company across Poland. The process begins with a conversation about the customer's needs and way of life, followed by a design, 3D visualisation and selection of specific products and solutions. Filipiak said design services themselves are not new to the chain: more than 100 Castorama locations already provide them. The change is that the company is moving closer to customers through smaller spaces outside its traditional big-box format. 'Customers can come for inspiration and then carry out the whole project with us — from the concept through installation and financing. We want to be present where people are already looking for ideas,' Filipiak said. A 240-square-metre showroom in Warsaw One of the flagship examples is Castorama's Design Studio at Westfield Mokotów in Warsaw, which includes the company's first full show home in Poland. The 240-square-metre space is designed to demonstrate how different lifestyles can translate into practical interior solutions. Interior designer Dorota Szelągowska, who worked on the project, said the concept is meant to show that a mass-market home-improvement retailer can furnish an entire apartment rather than only supply materials for renovation. 'It is a place where we can design an interior, but above all where people can find inspiration. Castorama is not only somewhere to buy renovation products or design a kitchen or bathroom. It can now help arrange an entire home from A to Z — including design, financing, transport and installation,' she said. The showroom includes examples ranging from a compact studio apartment to a kitchen with an island and a fashionable cashmere-coloured kitchen. Szelągowska said the goal is to demonstrate that attractive, coordinated interiors do not necessarily require bespoke carpentry or exceptionally high spending. Design becomes part of Castorama's broader strategy On 1 September 2026, Castorama launched a nationwide 360-degree campaign under the slogan 'Liczy się wnętrze'. The Polish phrase deliberately plays on two meanings — the interior of a home and what is 'inside' a person — to emphasise that design should begin with the needs of the people who use a space. The retailer says the shift toward inspiration, design, installation and finishing services is a strategic part of its future model. It operates more than 108 stores in Poland and employs more than 10,000 people. The survey results suggest that professional design advice is moving into the mass market. Polish consumers are interested not merely in visual trends, but in practical support that helps them organise space, control costs and adapt their homes to everyday life. Source: Newseria; Castorama 'Liczy się wnętrze' survey.