I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this before, but my husband is actually Polish and since we met I have taken a really keen interest in Poland and all things Polish. I’ve been trying to learn the language for 10 years now and I’ve still not nailed it despite having a natural talent for languages (I have a first class degree in French, German and European Studies). My interest in Poland also extends to the Polish design scene which has been steadily making waves here in the UK.
You’ve probably come across the likes of Tomek Rygalik and Oskar Zięta before, or at least you’ve seen the products that they have designed. There are some really great product designers coming out of Poland at the moment and I’ve been meaning to do an article on this for ages. The latest company to come onto my radar from Poland is Tylko (the Polish word for “Only”).
The Warsaw-based furniture start-up launched in September 2015 at the London Design Festival and is currently disrupting the flat-packed furniture industry with its custom built storage solutions that can be made to fit any space. Their slogan cleverly describes what they do as making “shelves that stand out because they fit in perfectly”.
Tylko was founded by a group of four interdisciplinary innovators with backgrounds in architecture, parametric design, branding and business development. Their expertise in design and technology has allowed them to create products that encourage us to change the way that we think about furnishing our homes. Tylko believes that we should be designing our homes according to our needs and once we are able to do this it will help us to improve our quality of living. This is something that I wholeheartedly agree with.
Parametric design, is a big part of what Tylko does. This is a process whereby the parameters of a product are determined by a code or algorithm that has been written by parametric designers. The result is that the end user has much greater control over the outcome of the design process. Therefore the end-product is better suited for the user’s personal requirements, both aesthetically and practically.
Tylko prides itself on using the best quality materials to ensure customer satisfaction. They source their plywood from Finland and the factories that they partner with have various certifications such as FSC and PEFC-timber. This highlights their sustainable and environmentally-friendly policies. This approach allows Tylko to make furniture that’s so durable it will outlive the trees planted to replace them. So these are products are perfect for people who are looking to invest in environmentally-friendly, sustainable products.
Tylko’s products are also aimed at a design savvy audience (that’s you guys!). They will particularly appeal to people with a penchant for minimal or Scandinavian design aesthetics. People who will love Tylko are those who already take great pride in carefully choosing high quality, well-designed products that stand the test of time and perfectly meet their needs. They won’t mind paying that little bit extra to get a completely custom built storage that is bespoke to their home.
On the other end of the scale though, I’m guessing that Tylko will also appeal to those who shop in IKEA and are prepared to do a bit of self-assembly, but who want a product that is not necessarily mass produced. However, they will need to be willing to wait a bit longer for delivery and pay a bit more for the bespoke experience.
Tylko is also aimed at a more tech savvy audience who are able to use their innovative multi platform app. It is this app that enables you to design your custom built storage using the Augmented Reality feature. You can adjust furniture dimensions, style and material, as well as adding doors to your design to create the ideal storage that you can actually see in situ (virtually), before you buy it. You can also share your designs as photos or record them in Augmented Reality movies to help you choose the perfect configuration. You can then order your storage unit directly through the app and have it delivered straight to your door in manageable flatpack boxes that are numbered for ease of assembly. Tylko ships to most of Europe and delivery is free.
Tylko furniture is also extremely easy to assemble, even easier than IKEA furniture in fact. The shelves arrive with invisible connectors already built into the edges of each element which simply snap together…no tools are needed! Assembly instructions are provided in the personalised manual. The furniture can also be dismantled at a later date by simply sliding the pieces backwards. For safety reasons any piece of furniture over 100cm tall must be fixed to the wall using the iron brackets included.
You can see the whole process from customisation and ordering to delivery and assembly in the video at the end of the post.
If you would like to see Tylko shelves in situ in real homes head on over to Ana Mum Diary where Amanda has used Tylko in her living room or over to Fabric of my Life where Kate has used it in her new home in Manchester. Oliva from Lust Living has also chosen Tylko for her living room, as has Niki from My Scandinavian Home. As you will see, Tylko’s custom built storage is a perfect way not only to store all your essential items but also to display those things that are important to you and bring your personality into your home.
Exciting things are also in the pipeline for Tylko as they are working in collaboration with guest designers as well. World-renowned designer Yves Béhar has worked closely with the Tylko team as an investor and a design advisor since its very inception, and he has designed the Tylko Table which will be available shortly.
I’ve always thought that the perfect furniture design is adaptable to individual needs while following a specific design intent. The Tylko technology and user experience means one can create bespoke furniture pieces with individual preferences, while still getting a designer’s vision and direction
Yves Béhar, designer, entrepreneur and educator.
So, are you convinced yet? I was convinced the moment I heard about this innovate custom built storage concept. No more scouring the internet to find the perfect shelving unit that is XXcm wide or XXXcm high only to find that our requirements are not a standard size. Tylko allows you to design your storage to fit perfectly in your space. Just watch this video if you need further convincing!
I am delighted to let you know that Tylko has kindly offered me a £/€300 voucher to give away to one lucky Design Sheppard reader who would like to try out Tylko perfect-fit shelving for themselves. As usual just enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck and don’t forget to tell all your friends about this fantastic giveaway!
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