Designer · Poland · b. 1921
Janusz Różański
Janusz Różański (b. 1921) – Poznań furniture designer, creator of the 360 armchair (1959), and head of Centralny Ośrodek Rozwoju Meblarstwa.
Pair of 360 armchairs, designed by Janusz Różański, PRL, 1960s
About the designer
- Lifetime
- b. 1921
- Country
- Poland
- Manufacturers
- Lubuskie Fabryki Mebli
Janusz Różański was born in 1921 in Poznań. He obtained his diploma from the Faculty of Interior Architecture at the State Higher School of Fine Arts (PWSSP) in Poznań in 1957. From 1958, he worked at Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Meblarskiego (Furniture Industry Union), and subsequently headed the design studio at Przedsiębiorstwo Projektowo-Konstrukcyjne Przemysłu Meblarskiego (Design and Construction Enterprise of the Furniture Industry). From 1965, he ran the architectural studio of the newly established Centralny Ośrodek Rozwoju Meblarstwa (Central Furniture Development Centre) and led a team of designers until 1981. In 1960, together with Rajmund Teofil Hałas, Czesław Kowalski and Leonard Kuczma, he founded the “Koło” group, which campaigned for the organisation of a furniture biennale in Poznań. He also designed for Krakowskie Fabryki Mebli.
His best-known design is the 360 armchair on a lightweight metal frame. The prototype was shown in 1959 at the Furniture Fair in Poznań; a short series was probably produced at Świebodzińska Fabryka Mebli on its basis. Since 2016, the armchair has been produced by Politura according to drawings found by the designer’s family. Set 1378 – an armchair and table from 1962 – did not enter serial production and was also recreated by Politura. At the beginning of the 1970s, Różański designed the “Kasia” lounge suite. He died in Poznań at the age of 93.
