Doki (eng. docks). For many years, our Studio 1:1 was located on this street, in the former shipyard areas of Gdańsk.

This space became for us more than just an address. It was a place where we observed abandoned tools and furniture made by shipyard workers during the Communist era in Poland. Examples of incredibly simple, functional, yet beautiful solutions from a time of constant shortages.

What moved us the most there was the unexpected ingenuity — objects reused secondhand, tools made from leftover materials, makeshift solutions that were spontaneous but surprisingly effective. Improvisation as a response to scarcity. Creativity born not from luxury, but from necessity.

This shipyard world taught us to look at objects differently. It taught us to value things that don’t have to be smooth or polished to be beautiful. Their beauty came from structure and function. From purpose. From the tangible presence of human decision-making.

When we design today, we often return to those memories. The K3 standing coat rack is one such return. Simple, unadorned. It can stand in a hallway, an office, or a café — but its roots always lead back to shipyard scaffolding and industrial structures. It embodies durability, minimalism, and versatility — qualities we’ve drawn directly from the spirit of the shipyard.

That place — with its monumental scale, unexpected aesthetics, and the palpable presence of human labor — continues to teach us attentiveness and humility. It reminds us that design doesn’t begin with form, but with understanding — of space, material, and need. The shipyard remains a source of meaning for us — unintended, yet deeply resonant.