MS Design Studio

When walls tell stories

Magdalena Smielewski is a multidisciplinary artist who brings together the worlds of art, design, and craft through a distinctive and cohesive visual language. Trained as a photographer, driven by a passion for design, and a natural storyteller, she communicates through powerful, image-based narratives. Originally from the creative city of Łódź, Poland, Magdalena expanded her artistic perspective while studying photography and media in Cambridge. Her work—ranging from striking photography to immersive video installations—has been featured in galleries across Europe. While photography was her starting point, it is the world of wallpapers that has captured her imagination and become her true creative focus.

Today, Magdalena runs MS Design Studio, where she creates her own wallpaper and fabric designs. You won't find any random patterns here – each collection is a separate story, often inspired by art, nature, history or... coincidence. As she says:

"It all started in the darkroom. I’ve always been drawn to experimenting with printing techniques. Wallpapers became a natural extension of this passion — a format that brings art from galleries directly into homes, offices, and cafés.
I love to think that my designs live with people every day.”

Her collections catch the eye and spark the imagination. The XXL Birds pay homage to 18th-century botanical sketches—rich in detail and delicacy, yet presented on a modern, oversized scale. Oriental Stories was inspired by a single glance at a fragment of an old kimono in a museum in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, her reinterpretations of classic Toile de Jouy in vivid colors prove that tradition can also have an edge.

Magdalena breaks stereotypes—she sees wallpaper as a medium that can create atmosphere, highlight the character of a space, and express who we are. That’s why she begins her design process with a conversation—with the client, the space, and its needs. As she emphasizes:

"An interior should say something about a person, not just look good. The best designs are those that evoke emotions and make you feel ‘at home.’ Wallpaper can serve as such a point of reference—subtle or bold, but always significant."