Marta Nowicka
“I am an Interior Architect with a passion for turning commercial properties into beautiful homes. Having an ever-growing property portfolio led to the creation of DOM: a collection of stunning houses in the UK and all over Europe that invites people to experience great design differently, to live in it. DOMstay lets you discover a weekend getaway, holiday, or curated living space that normally takes forever to find, in an instant.
Additionally, I am very involved in education and believe that it is very important to give back to the community. I have been teaching all of my life, was a Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University and Kingston University, Course Leader at London Metropolitan University, and most recently, Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Art.”
Marta Nowicka was born in London to creative Polish parents, who respectfully practiced Architecture and Fashion Design. She studied Interior Architecture at Kingston University, which was quickly followed by work at JBP, Sheppard Robson, Nicolas Grimshaw, and Land Architects. In 1994, Marta started Nowicka Stern Design Consultancy and under her creative direction developed a diverse, award-winning portfolio with clients including Nick Leslau, Gerald Ronson, Buford Group, Fabric, The Gate, and Another.com - which won ‘Best Office’ at the FX Awards in 2000 and Design Week Awards in 2001.
In 2002, having sold Nowicka Stern, she started Marta Nowicka & Co - a concept-led design studio taking inspiration from site-specific conditions, art, and architecture mixed with the urban landscape. Quickly she developed an impressive clientele for the likes of artists including Michael Landy, Gillian Wearing, Karsten Schubert, Glenn Brown, Framestore, and Peter Peri. The opportunity to work in design was and continues to be incredibly exciting, as each space allows for a unique experience and a new design narrative.
Marta’s boundless experience in design and architecture led to the creation of DOMstay, a selection of stunning homes for design devotees to experience first-hand. Projects include The Gouse (a new build 3-bedroom end-of-a-garden house located in Hackney), St John (a former 1950s ambulance station transformed into a family home in Rye), Coastguard’s Cottage (a remodeled seaside cottage with an impressive kitchen/ dining extension in Camber) and The Warehouse (a transformed 19th-century wine warehouse in heart of London).
Her various projects have been shown at the Surface Design Show, on Grand Designs Live alongside Kevin McCloud, as well as a TV makeover show with Davina McCall. Additionally, St John was the house of inspiration on Channel 4s Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke, and was later shortlisted for “Don’t Move, Improve!” by New London Architecture, the World Interior Awards / WAN, and won The Architect’s Journal Retrofit Award in 2018.
Parallel to Marta’s career as an interior architect, runs her committed academic role within a number of leading Design and Architecture universities. Sharing knowledge and engaging with students, Marta has been invited to teach, examine and lecture at The Royal College of Art, The Architectural Association, Cass, Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and LaSalle Singapore among others, and was the course leader at London Metropolitan University.
