Perched high in a late-1930s Prague apartment building with views of the Vltava River, this 115 sq m residence offers a masterclass in thoughtful contrasts. Renovated in 2026 by Prokop Hartl for a young family, it balances contemporary, industrial-leaning minimalism with a playful streak – pastel accents nod to its art deco-era origins, while rich oak parquet warms things up.

The apartment is organised and optimised. Hartl has orchestrated materials and spaces with precision: built-in oak veneer wardrobes define circulation paths, marking transitions between new poured polyurethane floors and the restored parquet, while restored doors topped with new transoms draw natural light deep into the interior.

By removing a partition between two original rooms, the designers created a generous living area – the showpiece of the home – that frames the river like a living painting. Structural columns, rather than being constraints, are celebrated as dramatic focal points, while exposed concrete beams introduce industrial grit that complements the apartment’s softer touches.

The kitchen, once hidden away in a former maid’s room, now occupies the centre of the home. It’s functional yet sculptural, featuring a dark blue-stained island, natural granite countertops and oversized handles. A custom dining table in hot-dip galvanised steel and bleached pine plywood bridges the kitchen and living spaces.

Meanwhile, the former kitchen area has been transformed into a serene bedroom suite, complete with a wall of storage and a walk-in shower enclosed in glass blocks – ensuring privacy without compromising light. Custom-built furniture, bespoke pieces from studio and online store anýz and refurbished originals strike a balance between the contemporary and historical.

Throughout, furniture and decor are used sparingly and carefully. Artworks by Lukáš Koubek and furnishings and fittings from brands such as Franke, Grohe, Hay, Ideal Lux, Kluś, Rako, Sapeli, Ton and ABB reinforce the apartment’s deliberate approach: nothing is extraneous, nothing is an afterthought. The result is a veritable choreography of light, material and space.

Recreate the mood

In September 2024, Prague’s famous funicular cars made their last journey up Laurenziberg to the Petrin lookout. Relics of the late communist era, they had witnessed head-swerving change and enabled new generations of international visitors to appreciate the spires and domes of this incredibly beautiful city. New cars, by Anna Marešová Designers, will make their debut in 2026, but in the meantime, just for fun, the designers got together with Czech construction-kit company SEVA to make a scale model anyone over the age of six can operate.

The model cars were available this week in the newly renovated Prague City Museum, a flagship venue of the Designblok 24 festival (2-6 October 2024), the city’s 26th. And they went some way toward reflecting the local design community’s ingenuity and upward trajectory – not to mention the central theme of ‘youth’.

Designblok 24 highlights: Prague gets playful

Well attended to the point of venue overflow, the quarter-century juggernaut gave visitors a feeling for Prague’s grand, glorious architectural heritage – from the neo-Renaissance Museum of Decorative Arts to the baroque Riding School at Prague Castle, and the art deco Almanac X Alcron Prague hotel, a festival sponsor that exhibited pieces by homegrown designer Qubus – and provided entrance deep into every corner of town, reached by the handy £1 tram.

Yet the playful spirit of the participants was hardly suppressed. On opening night, the few who weren’t in black wore wild, Haribo hues. We saw organisers blowing bubbles and children playing with painted-wood toys. Two student exhibitors hauled in an installation of winter sleds crudely patched together, in the style of festival speaker Ron Arad, from cast-off indoor seating. Furniture rollouts, often highbrow, contract-oriented events, managed to amuse and delight – like the three-legged chair and two-legged table by Casa Moderna at the Prague Museum.

In the same room, one festival-goer mounted a massive rocking horse made from LD Seating components. The biggest stunt was outside on the grounds, where a DJ spun techno while visitors tiptoed through a mobile hall of mirrors, displaying ten original glass works from top Czech designers, reflected to infinity.

Music kept the mood light in every venue, probably because well-crafted speakers have become a major statement in hospitality design recently. We saw wood audio furniture by Ekustik and robot-shaped speakers by Superfine Stuff – pieces that could anchor a decorating scheme. In keeping with the theme, Lappa came along with its iridescent acoustic panels, as a courtesy to the neighbours.

Among those who brought serious ingenuity to the whimsical proceedings was the team at Bastion Florence, who banded together after winning last year's Diploma Selection. This year they highlighted a new development called econitWood, made from sawmill waste – wood chip and pulp – which they 3D-printed into surprisingly cool, sustainable furnishings. Ceramicists were enjoying a moment, too. Milan Pekar cast his ‘knitted’ tables and bowls in woven configurations, inspired by a time-honoured technique by which clay was moulded in woven baskets. And Karolina Kucerova achieved a pliant softness with her range of cloudy porcelain, dubbing the technique ‘material empathy’.

Unsurprisingly the glass-design contingent continued to steal focus. At the Riding School, the material was bubbly, beveled and, in the case of Rückl’s ethereal vessels, blended with raw stone. Over at the Museum of Decorative Arts, glass innovations sat among several colourful, characterful vestiges of 20th-century craft. Sculptor Hana Hillerova showed a range of pendant lamps infused with precious metals – the kind often used in sunglasses. Her silver- and gold-based ‘Night & Day’ lamps exhibit cool, mossy ombré tones by day and fiery warmth at night.

Heavy ceramic coffee cups by brothers David & Simon Valovič had slanted silhouettes, as if to suggest forward momentum. Their sturdiness allowed them to stack, one atop the other, as high as you’d like. It seemed apropos for a nation on a trajectory.

Designblok 24 runs 2-6 October 2024. The exhibition ‘Bóda Horák: Biosphere’ will remain on view at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague until 28 October 2024, designblok.cz

BYRÓ Architekti’s Garden Pavilion is set within a sprawling collection of private gardens close to the centre of Prague and replaces a run-down cottage structure that was originally on the site. The clients, who live in an apartment just a ten-minute walk away, wanted a new pavilion that would make the most of their plot throughout the year.

Garden Pavilion: a private, minimalist haven

With this contemporary cabin, architects Jan Holub and Tomáš Hanus have crammed a remarkable amount of functionality into just 20 sq m, thanks to the double-height structure that allows for an upper-level mezzanine for occasional summer sleepovers. Bookshelves double up as plant storage during the winter.

‘When the clients are in their garden, they try to spend as much time outdoors as possible,’ say Holub and Hanus. ‘They came to us with a specific and perhaps slightly paradoxical task. They wanted a new structure on the site of the original dilapidated cottage, but at the same time, they didn't want to close off the garden.’

The new pavilion is defined by its large, folding front panel, a mix of door, wall and window that allows the entire frontage to open up and form a shaded canopy. ‘This way, the interior seamlessly transitions to the outdoors, with the garden penetrating the building,’ the architects say. ‘This creates a kind of paraphrase of a garden loggia, which was our fundamental architectural inspiration.’

Made from timber and polycarbonate, and carefully designed with cables, pulleys and counterweights for easy operation, the wall can be opened by just one person. The rest of the façade is formed from blackened, charred timber, which stands in contrast to the light plaster and wood-lined interior. 

The project was designed to sit on the foundations of the original cottage, and several other plots have surviving structures and shelters. The new pavilion adds to the idiosyncratic design language of this communal outdoor space, a garden colony close to the banks of the Vltava River.

‘We tried to incorporate the character of the surroundings into the new building, with its shou-sugi-ban wooden façade and naturally irregular structure,’ Holub and Hanus say. ‘With the shutters closed, it corresponds to the quiet objects in the vicinity.’

Inside, the library, ladder and mezzanine floor are all made from timber. Windows are set in three of the four façades to create a changing pattern of lighting through the day, and the large areas of translucent polycarbonate keep it bright even when the pavilion is shut up to the elements. Off grid, without any services or utilities, the one concession to contemporary technology is the rooftop photovoltaic panel, that provides basic lighting to the interior once the sun goes down. 

byro.cz

Kunsthalle Praha, a major new not-for-profit arts and culture organisation has opened its doors to the public in the Czech capital. 

The building housing the new institution began as the Zenger Electrical Substation in the 1930s, generating electricity for the city’s tram and trolleybus network. The station became defunct as technology evolved, but was acquired by the Pudil Family Foundation in 2015 with the intention of giving the building a new life as Kunsthalle Praha. The institution focuses on 20th-century and contemporary Czech and international art and will function as an ‘open meeting point’ where art lives but also engages a wide audience.

Czech architecture studio Schindler Seko was tasked with reimagining the building as an art destination, which now comprises three large galleries, a bistro, a café and an extensive retail space. But it wasn’t without challenges.

Structural issues and contamination rendered the building’s original skeleton unfit for purpose; it was gutted and replaced with a monolithic concrete structure with the monument-protected facade kept intact. ‘It’s hard to create a good contemporary art space in a building that’s not purpose-built,’ says Ivana Goossen, director of Kunsthalle Praha. ‘[But] it gave us an opportunity to create a space that was really made for art.’

While the collection is important to the identity of the institution, it won’t form the primary focus. ‘From the beginning, we never wanted this place to be a temple for the collection,’ Goossen explains. ‘[The collection] allows us to exchange; when we request something on loan, we’re able to give something on loan. So it is a very important part of what we do, but we never intended to have a permanent show of the collection. We wanted to live the “kunsthalle” concept.’

This has created a model built on cooperation and a diverse mix of thematic and solo exhibitions, for which Kunsthalle Praha often partners with external curators and artists to develop a vision for each show. ‘Depending on the exhibition, the artists, and the opportunity, we will support the creation of new work. It’s a larger story we want to tell. I think it’s so important for artists to have the support to venture into a new area,’ says Goossen. 

Kunsthalle Praha inaugural show: ‘Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art’

The opening exhibition ‘Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art’ is an ode to the original fabric of Kunsthalle Praha. On view until 20 June 2022, the show surveys how electricity has transformed movements and artistic practices from the start of the 20th century to the contemporary era. 

Though the show is international and multi-generational, at its heart is a tribute to the work of Czech avant-garde art pioneer Zdeněk Pešánek. In 1936, the artist created a kinetic light sculpture titled 100 Years of Electricity for the facade of the Zenger substation, yet the installation mysteriously vanished before it got the chance, surviving only in the form of models. The Kunsthalle Praha team, spearheaded by guest curator Peter Weibel, chose to focus on bringing Pešánek’s ideas back to life, in dialogue with a century of electricity-driven art. 

This optically dazzling and comprehensive exhibition involves more than 90 works organised into four categories: cinematography, kinetic art, cybernetic art, and computer art. Visitors will encounter everything from the trailblazing experiments of Bauhaus-affiliated figures to cutting-edge immersive technology by teamLab. The show will include the work of pioneers such as Mary Ellen Bute, Carlos Cruz-Diez, László Moholy-Nagy, Martha Boto and Marcel Duchamp; established living icons such as Julio Le Parc, Cerith Wyn Evans and William Kentridge; and other leading contemporary names including Ryoji Ikeda, Refik Anadol, Shilpa Gupta, Olafur Eliasson, Xavier Veilhan, Random International, and Angela Bulloch. 

Alongside the inaugural show, Kunsthalle Praha has also unveiled a permanent commission by conceptual artist Mark Dion titled Cabinet of Electrical Curiosities, as well as a separate exhibition, ‘Electrical Substation: Electricity in Architecture, Electricity in the City’ which explores the building’s rich industrial past, and Prague’s history more broadly.

INFORMATION

’Kinetismus: 100 Years of Electricity in Art’, until 20 June 2022, Kunsthalle Praha. kunsthallepraha.org

Written by Wallpaper* contributor, Prague-based architectural historian and writer Adam Štěch, and beautifully shot by photographer Tomáš Souček, this modernist architecture map is a visual feast – as well as a useful tool – about exploring the beautiful European city of Prague. Published by Blue Crow Media, Modern Prague Map, released this month, celebrates 20th century architecture in the Czech Republic capital. 

The travel guide is a two-sided and bilingual print that includes a map of the city, as well as an introductory essay and information on fifty notable buildings – all of which are marked on the map. The rich selection of buildings spans the 20th century, including work by architects such as Vlastislav Hofman, Adolf Loos, Věra Machoninová and her husband Vladimír Machonín – and many more. 

The featured buildings offer a wide range of typologies and scales, from large scale works, such as multi-family housing to department stores, to more boutique designs, such as homes or urban furniture. Highlights include Emil Králíček’s Cubist lamp post, the Modernist Baba Housing Estate, Martin Rainer’s apartment building and the New Stage of the National Theatre by Prager, the artist S. Libenský and the sculptor J. Brychtová.

‘Important historical events are imprinted on the walls of Prague's architecture,' says Štěch. ‘In almost every street in Prague we can find various examples of architecture from all decades of the last century; from the phenomenon that is Czech Cubism to our unique take on Postmodernism and High-Tech architecture.’

Modern Prague Map is part of a series of architectural guides from Blue Crow Media - other publications include similar projects that focus on modernist and brutalist architecture in places such as Berlin, Chicago and London.

INFORMATION

Modern Prague Map

On a narrow street in Prague’s Old Town, right across from the legendary Café Montmartre, Autentista is the latest offering from wine gurus Bogdan Trojak and Antonín Suchánek, who are driving the city’s wine scene, having already launched Veltlín, a popular bar, as well as ‘Prague Drinks Wine’, a festival now in its seventh year.

Local studio Formafatal has made the most of the building’s original 14th century vaulted ceilings, layering the grey-patinated space with cork-detailed upholstered banquettes, &Tradition chairs, black hot-rolled steel elements such as the ceiling-height wine displays, and stand out pieces like the Moooi Meshmatics chandelier and a bar emblazoned with an astronomy-themed print by graphic artist Jan Dočekal.

This all comes together to form an atmospheric space from which to enjoy the bar’s menu of natural wines from the Czech republic and beyond, alongside tasty nibbles like cheeses, patés and fermented vegetables. 

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Řetězová 10

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Fans of Prague’s Maximilian have long prized both its central location – opposite the Haštal church and within easy reach of the Old Town Square – and its quiet fusion of a decorative pile built in 1903 and a newer block in 1995 when the hotel first opened.

With the last refurbishment taking place in 2005, it was time, though, for a spruce up, and for that, Conran and Partners were tapped for the task.

The biggest changes have taken place in the ground floor with the insertion of a new café and bar, brasserie, library and courtyard. In particular, the new mood channels light pastels that shift hues from room to room, the colours overlaid with local art, handsome bespoke lights and, of course, handmade Czech glass.

The 71-rooms have all been similarly overhauled, with the best views of the Old Town to be had from the upper floors. The basement spa, meanwhile, is a soigné cocoon amped up with treatments derived from Indian and South-East Asian traditions, but we remain a little distracted by the brasserie.

Here, head chef Scott Van Wagenen pairs small-batch organic wines with an international and Czech menu, of which highlights include fish that are, unusually, first grilled and then poached, and 30-day aged local beef nuzzling up against truffle potato cream.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Haštalská 14 Prague 1

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Project: Savarin
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Status: design development

Heatherwick Studio has revealed a regenerative master plan for Savarin, a 150,000 sq m site in Prague’s Old Town. The project, the firm’s first in the Czech Republic, will see the development of a variety of mixed-use spaces both beneath and above ground. Infrastructural development is also on the agenda, with new public access to Prague Castle’s Riding Hall and its surrounding gardens set to open. The introduction of new retail, office and public venues is sensitively geared to reinvigorate the city’s heart and simultaneously acknowledge the area’s rich history.

Left, Savarin Palace. Right, Savarin Arcade.

Project: 1000 Trees
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: under construction

On a site next to Shanghai’s art district M50, Heatherwick Studio was invited to develop a multi-use complex relating to the nearby park and arts street. Rather than to conceive the project in architectural terms, Heatherwick Studio looked to express the design geographically, adopting a topographical design revolving around two ‘mountain peaks’.

Project: 1000 Trees
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: under construction

The complex occupies a 300,000 sq m plot of land, and is to be constituted of 400 terraces. Emphasising the structural support columns, which would usually be subdued and hidden by the building, Heatherwick Studio will adorn the space with approximately 1,000 trees, perpetuating the concept of a tree-covered mountain range.

Project: 1000 Trees
Location: Shanghai, China
Status: under construction

The building is flanked by a public park and concrete towers, and overlooks a nearby river. Several historic buildings are incorporated into the project, which will be self-contained by the rising concrete topography. Upon completion, the project will develop into a growing 3D forest.

Project: Coal Drops Yard
Location: London, UK
Status: completed late 2018

Known for its mix of wasteland and industrial buildings, many of which remained empty for years, Kings Cross is now undergoing a significant transformation. Coal Drops Yard is a complex of warehouses previously used for storage and light industry. The long complex runs parallel to the existing refurbished building of the Central St Martins School, off Granary Square, and under the new scheme it will be redesigned and extended – while important historic fixtures and fittings will be retained and repaired.

Project: Coal Drops Yard
Location: London, UK
Status: completed late 2018

The new structures are set to host a mix of ‘independent retailers and signature brands’, explains the team behind the project. Spanning some 100,000 sq ft and around 65 units, offerings will also include new restaurants, bars and cafes. A new public area will sit at the heart of the complex.

Project: Coal Drops Yard
Location: London, UK
Status: completed late 2018

Adding an important retail element to Kings Cross’ existing mix of modern offices and residential blocks – some completed, but many more ongoing and coming up – and reinforcing the area’s leisure offerings, Coal Drops Yard is scheduled to be ready for 2018.

Project: Google King’s Cross
Location: London, UK
Status: under construction

Heatherwick Studio and BIG have been commissioned to create the web titan’s new London headquarters in King’s Cross. Designing with the surrounding architectural framework and infrastructure in mind, the team chose to treat the project as a connected point within the urban jungle. Operating out of King’s Cross for over 15 years, Heatherwick Studio was familiar with the context and looked to communicate the historic details of the area in the project’s design.

Project: Google King’s Cross
Location: London, UK
Status: under construction

As opposed to a typical office high rise, the building is 330m long (the same length as The Shard’s height), and the main floors of workspace are presented as single volumes, like the proximate rail sheds. At ground level, the building stretches the length of a pedestrianized concourse, and features space for a host of smaller retail outposts underneath the two floors of Google offices. Meanwhile the panoramic roof garden will give excellent city views, where visitors can engage with the area’s architectural history alongside its latest addition.

Project: Google Charleston East
Location: California, USA
Status: under construction

Adopting a visual aesthetic akin to a giant tent-like fabric, Google Charleston East is a collaboration between Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group for Google’s first purpose-built office development at Mountain View, California. The canopies are in fact power-generating photovoltaic panels, converting sunlight into energy. 

Project: Google Charleston East
Location: California, USA
Status: under construction

In the design brief, Google was keen for the buildings to connect with the local community, offering amenities for both neighbours and employees alike. At the ground level, the development features a number of pavilions that are attached to a ‘green loop’, whilst cafés and shops will bridge the gap between workplace and social destination. The 595,000 sq ft campus will additionally feature a public park and plaza.

Project: 515 West 18th Street
Location: New York, USA
Status: design development

Thomas Heatherwick brings his magic to New York’s residential realm with this Chelsea-based project. The building at 515 West 18th Street is a contemporary reimagining of the area’s warehouse style homes. The 21-storey building complex will feature distinctive rounded glass openings, in a ‘reinterpretation of the bay window’.

Project: 515 West 18th Street
Location: New York, USA
Status: design development

The luxury scheme will house some 180 units of two, three and four bedroom residences. Spreading across two towers, the glass-and-masonry project is designed by Heatherwick Studio for Related real estate. Completion is currently planned for 2020. 

Project: Vessel
Location: New York, USA
Status: completed spring 2019

Hudson Yards is set to be the largest real estate development in New York City since the 22-acre Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s. Centrepiece to the site is Vessel, Heatherwick Studio’s ‘climbing frame for adults’, a half-building, half-sculptural project comprised of almost 2,500 steps.

Project: Vessel
Location: New York, USA
Status: completed spring 2019

The project draws inspiration from the ancient stepwells of India, and features 80 viewing platforms that provide views across Hudson Yards and Manhattan. It is constructed from a steel framework, featuring polished copper-coloured undersides that reflect the surrounding day-to-day activity of Hudson Yards. 

Project: Vessel
Location: New York, USA
Status: completed spring 2019
Vessel sits among five acres of urban park designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, with input from Heatherwick’s team. The new outdoor space is intended as a seamless continuation of the planting and ethos of the nearby High Line, as well as connecting with the new Hudson Park & Boulevard green space. Planting has been inspired by New York’s distant past as a verdant woodland, with an integral 200 ft water feature and 28,000 plant species in total.

Project: Pier55
Location: New York, US
Status: scheduled completion 2020

A new addition to the southwest riverside in Manhattan, Pier55 is set to be both a public park and world-class outdoor performance space. Conceived as a result of a design competition, Heatherwick Studio has looked to the remains of former piers that occupied the space, wooden support piles leaving a trace of their prior occupation.

Project: Pier55
Location: New York, US
Status: scheduled completion 2020

The pier will be raised out of the water by the aid of 280 concrete piles that will connect like a mosaic to form the topography of the park. More than 100 different species of indigenous trees and plants will be adapted into space, whilst raked seating is shaped into the landscape to provide audience spaces. The pier will be able to hold 700 people in the theatre, 200 in a smaller performance space and 3,500 can make use of the numerous viewing platforms and pathways.

Project: Maggie’s Yorkshire
Location: Leeds, UK
Status: under construction

UK-based cancer support charity Maggie’s charged Heatherwick Studio with the design of its newest centre at the St James’s University Hospital campus in Leeds. Located on one of the few remaining green spaces on the campus, Heatherwick Studio has given special consideration to the natural backdrop, moulding the centre out of a blooming garden space with 10,302 plants growing in and around the building.

Project: Maggie’s Yorkshire
Location: Leeds, UK
Status: under construction

Inside, a library, counselling rooms and various social areas can be found. The base of each planter forms a distinct, enclosed private space for visitors, whilst in-between spaces encourage group conversation and activities.

There was an aura of celebration across Prague this past week. Not only is the capital celebrating 100 years since the formation of Czechoslovakia, but the creative community also joined together for the 20th year of the international festival Designblok. Amidst the cakes and balloons, the mature design show had a strong international presence on the agenda, including special guest Spanish designer Jaime Hayon (who designed a sugar-free birthday treat), a WallpaperSTORE* pop-up and the sixth edition of the annual Diploma Selection exhibition displaying European emerging talent.

The show continues to be a platform for Czech design. ‘We believe this is only the beginning,’ says Designblok’s director Jana Zielinski. ‘Designblok is here to showcase the promising future of our country.’ Below, we shine light on the most impressive displays that firmly places the historical city on the global design map...

Manifesto at Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace

Set within the baroque surrounds of an 18th-century building, 14 Czech and international designers who have shaped the last 20 years of the festival were invited to showcase installations under the broad title of ‘Manifesto’. Lasvit art director Maxim Velčovský realised a maze-like sculpture using 5000 empty gold metal cans inside the Theatre Hall (pictured). Creating strong visual impact juxtaposed against the ornate ceiling and walls, the empty cans are designed to symbolise hedonism in today’s society and offer a message of possibilities, alluded to in the title, ‘Yes, we can'.

Elsewhere in the location, Jaime Hayon forms a celebratory tiered cake using his designs, while in the room next door, Madrid-based Jorge Penadés, a former winner of the Diploma Selection competition, plays with the idea of contemporary joinery and construction with glass tables and cabinets that use leftover leather straps to connect the glass panes.

Art House at National Museum’s Lapidarium building

Art House is Designblok’s display of works that teeter between design and art. Located at National Museum’s Lapidarium building, contemporary and experimental pieces by the likes of Matteo Cibic, Philippe Cramer (pictured) and Marcin Rusak could be found scattered amongst the impressive statuary from the Gothic era and beyond, introducing a whimsical conversation between the old and new.

Diploma Selection exhibition at Industrial Palace in Výstaviště Praha Holešovice

For the sixth edition of the Diploma Selection awards, 15 European talents got creative with materials. Highlights include projects from Czech graduates, including a hybrid mirror and screen by Monika Fišerová from Czech Technical University and a metal outdoor furniture range by Johana Němečková from Prague’s Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. Innovative material re-use was on view from Central Saint Martins graduate Charlotte Kidger and Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design graduate Alexander Schul; his easy to assemble recycled plastic furniture (pictured) was awarded winner by a jury that included MoMA curator Juliet Kinchin, gallerist Rossana Orlandi and designer Ineke Hans.

Designers by Maria Cristina Didero at Okolo studio

Local creative collective Okolo opened its doors to a satellite exhibition that saw the words of Milan-based curator Maria Cristina Didero given a visual spin. They translated her interviews, articles and curatorial texts into graphic and vibrant 3D posters that expose the narratives behind design stars including Nendo, Snarkitecture, Ron Gilad and more. In addition, Okolo hosted the Czech premier of Didero’s film on the Radical Design movement, SuperDesign, directed by Francesco Molteni at the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP) that opened last year.

INFORMATION

Designblok was on view 25-29 October. For more information, visit the website

Hidden behind a centuries old vaulted passage in the heart of Prague Old Town, Pauseteria is the newest bistro to open in the Czech capital. 

For the interiors, owners Michal Ságl and Alina Kupcová have tasked young design studio Andrea & Martina who, in their most complex project to date, have layered the space with a subtle colour scheme and a refined material palette. 

This is highlighted by a mix of parquet flooring, terrazzo tiles, brass details, and a neon ceiling light installation - by local furniture designer Vojtěch Kálecký – that hangs above the communal table that takes centre stage. 

The menu on the wall behind the bar, which was devised by graphic designer František Polák, features an array of snacks from house-made cakes to soups and of course high-quality coffee from Czech roasting plant Candycane.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

U Radnice 11/4

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Experimental structural solutions and fantastic modernist forms have taken over Gallery NTK at the Czech National Library of Technology in Prague, for a survey of Israeli architect Alfred Neumann. Curated by the Ostrava-based Cabinet of Architecture in collaboration with MIT’s Rafi Segal, the show is the first major international attempt to present the work of Neumann.

The exhibition gives a comprehensive overview of Neumann’s life and career. Born in 1900 in Vienna, Neumann moved to Brno in Czechoslovakia, where his father operated small carpentry workshop. In 1922, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy, where he studied under Peter Behrens, going on to design furniture and interiors.

After surviving the concentration camp in Terezín during the Second World War, he escaped to Israel during the communists’ rise to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948 and began to work for Richard Kaufmann briefly. He became Dean of the Architecture Faculty at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa; following extensive travels, he founded his own atelier in 1959, inviting former students Eldar Sharon and Zvi Hecker to join him.

Influenced by the Czechoslovakian pre-war international style and the material expression of brutalism, Neumann created highly original versions of modernist architecture. Together with Sharon and Hekcker, who later rose to fame after Neumann’s death, the architect designed some of the most important structures in Israel during the 1950s and 1960s.

Archive images of several of Neumann’s most important projects, dating back to 1930s feature in the exhibition, beside recently-built, 3D-printed models, and life-size installations, evocating the architect’s hard-edge structural solutions of his celebrated projects.

After using expressive polyhedral structures to design lightweight beach pavilions for a holiday camp at Achziv, he soon began to realise his visions in concrete: his town hall project in Bat Jamu, for example, was completed in 1963. Neumann’s later work – such as the Dubiner apartment building in Ramat Ganu – explored new possibilities of spatial design in the residential environment, and his military school in Mitzpe Ramon, finished in 1969, offered more surprises with its playful form of stacked concrete hexagons.

Following a successful career in Israel, Neumann relocated to Canada where he taught at the Université Laval in Quebec into his later life. After his death in 1969, his influence continued to be seen widely, through the work of his student Hecker (who also excelled in modular residential designs), and further afield too, in the ideas of the Japanese metabolists and European structuralists.

INFORMATION

‘Space Packing Architecture: The life and work of Alfred Neumann’ is on view until 1 October. For more information, visit the Czech National Library of Technology website

ADDRESS

Gallery NTK
Czech National Library of Technology
Technická 2710/
160 80 Praha 6-Dejvice

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Never ones to disappoint, Prague restaurant specialists, Ambiente have launched another innovative winner, this time merging two of its established concepts – a butcher and a steak restaurant – to create one meat-focused emporium.

Occupying a former Ringhoffer bank, the restaurant’s elaborate 19th-century setting, with original murals and figurative sculptures by Czech art nouveau sculptor Jan Štursa, has called for a simple design from architect Rudolf Netík to include custom-designed furniture and copper lighting that mirrors the shapes of the tables.

The highlight is the central blue quartz bar, which provides the perfect setting to sample casual dishes such as beef tartar or even a burger. But for the full steak experience, take a seat in the restaurant or perhaps grab a cut to go from the onsite butcher.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Politických Vězňů 5

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The concept of humble yet sophisticated luxury is essential to a recently completed three-storey apartment in Prague’s Vinohrady district. Occupying the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of an elegant 19th-century residential building, the spacious apartment showcases the crafty ingenuity of the prolific A1 Architects studio.

Based in Prague, A1 Architects was founded by partners David Maštálka and Lenka Křemenová. Both studied at Prague Academy of Arts and Design (UMPRUM) – their 2009 graduation project, a wooden tea house, was located in the garden of their house. Throughout their projects, the duo have brought a tactile sensibility and Japanese-style approach to space and structure in contemporary Czech architecture.

Inspired by their travels to Japan and their friendship with Japanese master Terunobu Fujimori, the couple use minimal and humble materials to create simple forms, enhancing the beauty of the everyday.

Their three-storey apartment in Prague is one of their most luxurious and cavernous projects to date. One enters the apartment from the middle floor, where the main living room is located. The open plan main living area connects to the kitchen through a moveable wall and the two bedrooms are positioned on the lower fourth floor.

All three floors are connected by the impressive spiral staircase which has a distinctive sculptural appearence, illuminated by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s ‘AIM’ pendant lamps. The highest level of the apartment is an open gallery, connected to a large rooftop terrace by glazed doors.

The architects collaborated with master woodworkers to execute their tailor-made furniture design inspired by natural forms. These elements are accompanied by Czech furniture brand Ton’s ‘Split’ chairs, designed by Arik Levy. An intimate family memory is built into the home through the rounded stained glass window with floral motives, created by academic painter Jiří Karmazín, the uncle of the apartment’s client.

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the A1 Architects website

Built on the outskirts of Prague, Jan Šépka's House in the Orchard looks like a hybrid of John Lautner's famous Chemosphere house in Los Angeles and Antti Lovag‘s Palais Bulles in southern France. But the true idea of the house is much humbler than the architecture of these glamorous icons of modernism.

House in the Orchard is the latest residential project by Šépka, a Czech architect and co-founder of the internationally-acclaimed studio HŠH. Celebrated for its unconventional living concepts, the studio has built several experimental private residences around the Czech Republic. Now, Šépka continues with this original approach to personal living space.

Designed for an old friend, the house is situated in a beautiful natural garden surrounded by trees. The steep site inspired Šépka to build a house elevated on a single concrete pillar. 'Maybe it looks like a whimsical decision, but this solution actually saved a big amount of our budget. Considering the difficult conditions, a classical foundation would be more demanding financially, Šépka explains of his structural solution.

The house's organic structure is also the result of a practical construction idea. 'Before the implementation, the beams were precisely cut on a 3D milling machine and the construction was merely assembled like a construction set on-site,' says Šépka. The irregular shape is divided into triangular spaces, which assure the stability of the wooden build and also allowed the placement of birch plywood boards. 'The shape is simply the result of the structural decision and was modelled by computer,' adds the architect.

The three-storey structure has a living area of 80 sq m and is covered in plywood sheets, which were then sprayed with a layer of polyurethane and covered with a grey, waterproof skin, resembling concrete or natural rock. Inside, the first floor is dominated by the main living space, opened via expanding windows with views of the beautiful natural surroundings on the north side. Ladder-like steps lead to the second and third floors with the bedrooms, bathroom and study on the top floor. The large skylight window in the study lights the open interior from the south through all stories. Šépka also designed custom-built plywood furniture for the interior.

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Šépka Architects website

Prague’s Parlor ice cream bar is playing its part in the revolution of the city’s culinary scene, offering the first ice cream sandwiches in town.

Founder Lukáš Prokop struck upon the idea while traveling across the United States in search of gastronomic inspiration. He found it in San Francisco, where he was fascinated by the ice cream culture. After returning to Prague, he teamed up with his friend and specialist cookie-maker Míša Odstrčilová and together they founded Parlor cafe.

In the heart of the fashionable business district of Karlín, where many new restaurants and cafés have recently opened, their bar brings a fresh foodie experience, further boosting the area’s culinary credentials. ’In our menu we have eight different flavours of cookies, 12 different kinds of ice cream and eight types of toppings. That is more than 6,000 different flavour combinations, so there is always something to discover,’ explain Odstrčilová and Prokop. Daytime indulgences can be accompanied by coffee, hot chocolate or smoothies, while wine and cocktails are the sideshow in the evenings, when Parlor transforms into a bar.

The light, fresh interior is the work of promising young architects Lenka Míková and Markéta Bromová. They envisioned the bar as a friendly space furnished with vintage finds and with greenery interjected throughout. They also commissioned their friend and furniture designer Klára Šumová to create a custom dot mural all over the walls, and unique lamps made of glass and copper.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Parlor website

ADDRESS

Parlor
Křižíkova 37
Prague

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Czech architect Dagmar Štěpánova, head of Formafatal studio, has just completed her most comprehensive interior project to date; an impressive luxurious penthouse renovation in Prague.

The project's client approached Štěpánová with a fairly unusual request; she was to design this apartment interior as if it were her own. 'I've never had such a creative freedom in the design of an interior,' says the architect, who has previously worked as an interior designer at Mimolimit and founded her own studio last year. Her work is known for its material richness, original selection of furniture and accessories and unexpected bespoke twists. Previous work has included the Gran Fierro restaurant in Prague (W*194), which also served as inspiration for this apartment design. 

'The most difficult part of the project was working with the apartment's layout,' says the architect. 'The space is very fragmented and even though it is relatively large, it is a little awkward due to the large corridors and hallway.' The unit, a penthouse, is located on the top floor of a new apartment building in the Czech capital's Na Hřebenkách district. 'I was lucky enough to be able to work on the interior in its raw, unfinished state, so I could really start from scratch and address surface design and minor structural modifications together,' explains Štěpánová. 

The end result combines both that initial shell's rawness and plenty of tailor-made pieces. The floor, walls and ceilings were left in naked concrete, while steel bars, patinated wood and leather underlines a modern industrial look, with a Scandinavian twist. Most of the furnishings come from Scandinavia too, including tables from Mater or the iconic Hunting armchair by Danish Modernist Borge Mogensen.

'Perhaps the most exciting part of the project for me was to design all the custom-made pieces,' says the architect. Štěpánová's design includes 44 pieces of bespoke elements of furniture and fittings, such as tables, beds, sofas, doors, a library and coat hangers, perfectly uniting architecture and interiors in this contemporary apartment. 

INFORMATION
For more information visit the Formafatal website

Photography: Boys Play Nice

No doubt bolstered by the success of his first bistro Phill’s Twenty7, restaurateur Filip Mičan has now launched Phill’s Corner, literally round the corner from his first outpost.

Located in the Holport Design Centre - which itself is housed in a building that dates back to 1911 - the new eatery provides nourishment from delicious sandwiches to small appetisers and daily changing lunch menus for the local creatives in the area. 

Situated on the ground floor next to interior design store, Konsepti, Phill’s Corner joins a cast of chic design brands including Czech lighting specialist Lasvit (who has its flagship stores in the building), Moroso, Cappelini and Vitra among others, bringing its own sense of understated style to the building. 

Designed by Jan Plecháč and Henry Wielgus, rough brick walls, which have been painted white, provide the base colour for the sensual, almost monochromatic appearance, while pale mint-green concrete floors add minimal tinge of colour. Furnishings and tabletop accessories are by a mix of brands such as Menu, Magis and Vitra; and naturally lighting takes centre stage with a bold geometric ceiling installation.

The adjoining shop meanwhile provides an array of small design goods which have been lit up by Mould hanging lamps created by the duo for Lasvit.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Komunardů 32

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Martin Chum

Located along a well-trodden tourist path not far from famous Czech sites such as Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, Cihelna - a chic concept store - champions the best of local design talent, purposefully eschewing the kitschy knick knacks traditionally found in the area’s souvenir shops.

Curated by illustrator and design producer Silvie Luběnová, the sophisticated collection includes tableware by high-tech glass factory Bomma, colourful pieces by ceramicist Milan Pekař and standout offerings from a host of young Czech jewellers from Adéla Fejtková to Blueberries and Zorya. 

Displayed on custom-made monumental wood tables by Studio Dechem, over which a large chandelier by artist Rony Plesl hangs, the elegant space also doubles as a gallery with a string of upcoming exhibitions in the plan.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Cihelná 2B

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Kristina Hrabetov

One of the newest arrivals amongst the pleasant plethora of good-looking eateries and drink spots that have been transforming Prague’s Karlin district, this bistro has further solidified the area as one of the city’s most happening hotspots. Warmed by oak floors, exposed brick, ceramic patchwork tiling and clustered bulb light fixtures that provide an inviting glow by night, Nejen Bistro, or Not Only as its name translates, embraces the industrial Karlin minimalist aesthetic. ‘Just like the meals,’ says Martin Senberger, principal of Mar.s Architects who are behind the design, ‘the interior is clean without unnecessary additives.’

As such, fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farmers form the basis of the constantly changing menu. But the real star of the show is the bistro’s Josper Grill where meats from Australia, North America and Brazil reap the benefits of this renowned dual oven appliance. It comes as no surprise that amongst the owners, a group of friends ranging from restaurant owners to wine importers, is chef Martin Císar, a butcher by background.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Krizíkova 24

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PHOTOGRAPHY

BoysPlayNice

Born in Kladno, Czechoslovakia, keen traveller and architect Antonin Raymond (1888-1976) was a true citizen of the world. Having lived and worked in Europe, America and Asia throughout his long career, he is known for leaving a lasting impression on modern Japanese architecture. Exploring Raymond's exciting path through seven of his major works, 'Antonin Raymond 7x' is currently on show at the Jaroslav Frágner Gallery in Prague.

Curated by Irena Veverková and David Vávra, the exhibition in Prague is the result of research produced for a documentary series on Raymond's work for the Czech Television. Seven of his buildings, which were selected for the show, act as examples of his stylistic evolution. Works span the Art-Deco Hoshi University (1924), the Tropical Modernism of St. Joseph, the Worker Church on the Philippines (1949) and impressive Brutalist projects such as St. Anselm's Church in Tokyo (1954) or Gunma Music Center (1961).

After leaving Czechoslovakia, where he studied architecture at the Polytechnic Institute, Raymond settled in New York. Heavily influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, he began working for him as an assistant in 1916, consequently moving to Japan to oversee the design and construction of the office's famous Imperial hotel, completed in 1923. 

While remaining there as Wright's chief assistant, he decided to set up his own studio in 1921. Raymond's work in Japan soon grew and his style evolved, ranging from his early prairie-style architecture (a clear Wright influence) and Le Corbusier-inspired Modernism, to more vernacular styles in the 1940s, and post-war Brutalism. 

After the war Raymond cemented his reputation with several large-scale commissions. His studio also became an incubator for younger architects over the years; his staff has included Kunio Maekawa, Junzo Yoshimura and American furniture maker George Nakashima, who worked for Raymond in India during the construction of Golconda dormitory (see June 2011 issue of Wallpaper*).

Featuring newly commissioned photos, as well as a projection of the documentary itself, the show also includes furniture replicas designed by Raymond and his wife, decorator and designer Noémi Raymond. The show will travel to Brno next month. A detailed exhibition catalogue is available on site, for further information on this exciting architect's work and life. 

INFORMATION

’Antonin Raymond 7x’ is on show till 6 December 2015. For more information, please visit the Jaroslav Frágner Gallery website

Photography: Kazuyoshi Miyamoto, Jan Vytopil, David Vávra

ADDRESS

Betlémské náměstí
5a 110 00 Praha 1

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It’s been a busy few years for mixologist Pavel Tvaroh. After eight years in London spent running his experimental bar Lounge Bohemia in the city’s East End and working for esteemed brands such as the Selfridges department store and jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels, self-taught Tvaroh has now returned to his home turf of Prague to launch the second outpost of his popular watering hole.

Located in a secret address, Lounge Bohemia is only accessible via appointment, but once inside, visitors are treated to a performative cocktail experience, where Tvaroh doubles as an alchemist and a magician, producing thoroughly original tipples such as Forest, which delivered in a glass cone, will bring to mind the taste and smell of wood.

Like his London edition, the interiors are a result of Tvaroh’s enthusiastic collection of modernist design knick knacks such as the colourul EM77 vacuum jug by designer Erik Magnussen for Stelton, which sits on each table in laid-back space decked out to resemble your favourite aunt’s living room.

INFORMATION

Website

PHOTOGRAPHY
Tomáš Souček and David Turecký 

Prague’s Thai restaurant group, Modrý Zub, has just launched its third outpost, this time located in Smíchov, the shopping, media and business district of the Czech capital. Aiming for a distinctive Thai urban jungle aesthetic, architect Kryštof Blažek of local firm Minio Studio, clad the walls in bleached oak panelling embellished with bold Thai words. In contrast, a polished mirror bar reflects the entrance to the restaurant, while pendant lamps by Tom Dixon and chairs from Hay create a slick sense of design. Like its sister restaurants, food does not disappoint; we suggest starting with Naema Rum Khuan rolls with smoked salmon and fresh dill sauce, followed by the succulent wild boar, braised with red curry paste and coconut milk and served with fresh vegetables.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Stroupežnického 14

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Marek Sedlák

When it opened in 1967 after the politically and economically strained 1950s, Prague’s Parkhotel quickly became a symbol of the city’s newfound freedom. An iconic building of its time, the glory days saw the property appear in a string of popular Czech films, host both local and international sporting elite and even had global companies such as Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation set up their regional offices in the suites. Now, after a couple of decades of decline - and a series of substandard refurbishments - the hotel has been given a new lease of life by property development firm Daramis Group. Bringing on board Zdeněk Edel, one of the building’s original architects, the company carried out extensive research, building on the hotel’s rich history and cultural legacy to restore the public spaces to their original glory. Of the most significant is the lobby, which with the help of Israeli architect Gade Halperin, has been reinstated to its mordernist beauty with reproduced furnishings and lighting fixtures created from the hotel’s original plans and photographs. Contemporary furniture from Vitra and B&B Italaia meanwhile, transports the property into the 21st century. ‘We do not want to run one of the many hotels that are in Prague. We want to be something unique and authentic,’ says the property director Monika Hilm. ‘Architecture of our hotel offers that option. That is why we turned to it.’ 

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Veletržní 20

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Following the success of its first café, Můj šálek kávy (my cup of coffee), Místo – Czech for ‘the place’ - is the latest venture from Prague-based coffee outfit, Doubleshot Roastery. Founded in 2010 by Jarda Hrstka, Kamila Sotonová and Yara Tuček, after stints spent on coffee farms in Panama and roasteries in Canada, the trio offer top quality brews from a series of small farms from Guatemala to Brazil and Ethiopia. Located in the residential neighbourhood of Dejvice, in a former ground floor apartment, Místo has been designed by local architecture and interior firm, Edit, who broke down the inner walls to create a rhythmical series of intimate, interconnected spaces clad in vertical and horizontal strips of timber. A colourful mural by up-and-coming illustrator Kateřina Kynclová embellishes the back wall, where guests can also linger over a series of homemade snacks.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Bubenečská 12

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Tomáš Adamec

Since it opened two years ago, Lukáš Loskot and Jakub Kopčák's Ingredients has brought a number of cult beauty products to Prague – from Frederic Malle's scents to Cire Trudon's candles, Maison Francis Kurkdjian's perfumes and Aesop's aromatic hand washes. Now the concept store is branching out into luxurious skincare with a refurbished basement space. 

Clad in dark tiles, and furnished with industrial shelves and Jean Prouvé's mid-century classics, the new floor focuses solely on skin and facial care. The bright, upper level – with its vintage vitrine and modernist furniture by Ilmari Tapiovaara – remains a temple to fragrance and candles. The store also houses the Sisley Boudoir, the French brand's only Czech outpost, which offers phyto-aromatique treatments, combining massage rituals with the power of aromatherapy. 

Supplementing the basement's skincare remit is an extensive, equally-devotion-worthy product range: from Eve Lom to Egyptian Magic, Super Elixir, Retrouvé, Omorovicza, Yüli, May Lindstrom, RMS Beauty, Konjac Sponge Company and Malin + Goetz.

Beyond beauty, Ingredients also doubles as an intimate gallery space, exhibiting and selling work by young Czech artists – the abstract, geometric paintings of Ira Svobodová are currently on show. 

ADDRESS

Ingredients
Jáchymova 2
110 00 Prague 1

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With an ever-growing number of cool cafés, wine bars and shops, Prague’s Karlín district is fast becoming a haven for the hip set. Its latest arrival, is Bistro Proti, a cosy corner eatery with a sleek interior inspired by the neighbourhood’s most significant historical figure, engineer František Križík. The restaurant is a twenty-year long dream come true for journalist husband and wife team David and Karolina Konecný, who tasked local atelier Mimosa and architecture firm Modulora to outfit the space. As such, the stark white room is defined by a series of black cables which – embellishing the wall behind the Corten steel counter – are functionally attached to the restaurant’s pendant lighting fixtures, while forming a visual grid-like pattern. Clean oak furnishings and marble floors are elegant additions to an otherwise industrial space, which serves an all-day breakfast menu along with light additions such as soups, sandwiches and home made desserts. 

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Brezinova 22
Prague

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On Prague's bustling high street, Na Prikope, the massive windows of a stunning neo-renaissance building displays spheres, bulbs and other striking shapes made from glass. The exhibition named 'Pop-Up: Sklo/Glass' is on now until the end of June, with talk of a possible extension. Hosting a series of temporary shops and installations from four leading glass design studios and brands, it serves as an exquisite example of the city's current glass scene.

Featuring lighting, interior pieces, studio glass and tableware, 'Pop-up' is being held inside what will be Prague's first modern museum of glass, ZIBA. Set to open in 2016, its name derived from the banking code used for the former trade bank once housed inside the 19th-century building.  The three floors of permanent exhibition space will be dedicated to the presentation of modern Czech and international glass making.

In the capital city, the Czech Republic's centuries-old glass making tradition is being united with contemporary design. Newly formed modern brands and manufacturers are blending classic techniques with new technologies. These contemporary collaborations are offering a platform for designers and glassmakers to mold, melt, cut and blow their pieces into their own distinctive, modern aesthetic.

At street level, the space will house the first flagship shops of some of the city's leading contemporary glass brands. As the building undergoes renovations to accommodate the forthcoming museum, installations like Pop-Up are providing a teaser of what's to come.

In a minimalist showroom setting, strikingly simple lights, lamps and interior objects from glass design studio Dechem - recent winners of a Czech Grand Design Award - are on display. Next door, 'Made in Bor' features jaw dropping chandeliers and glass blown objects from four artists based in Novy Bor, an area in the Czech Republic where the glassmaking tradition dates back 600 years. At the corner of Na Prikope and Nekazanka, 'Manifest' features the uniting of art, design, architecture and craftsmanship from the glass studio at Prague's Academy of Art (UMPRUM) led by renowned Czech designer Rony Plesl. Presenting its full collection of new products under one roof for the first time is leading glass brand BOMMA, including an ethereal window display of giant spherical lamps inspired by last year's 'Tim Burton and His World' exhibition.

ADDRESS

ZIBA, o.p.s.
Na Příkopě 858/20,
110 00 Praha 1,
Czech Republic

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Documentary maker-turned-restaurateur, Juan Cruz Pacino is doing his bit to boost the burgeoning Czech food scene with the launch of his second venture. Located in the centre of Prague, not far from the National Theatre, the restaurant, which is housed on the ground floor of a modernist block built by Adolf Foehr in 1930, has been outfitted by budding architects, Dagmar Štepánová and Katarina Varsová. Here, their affinity for clean lines and spacial fluidity is evident with a crisp baby blue palette, rounded off with roughhewn woods, industrial lighting fixtures and mid-century furniture, including a series of leather Les Arcs chairs by designer Charlotte Perriand. Bolstered by the shop-front’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the entrance and bar is fresh and uncluttered, leading the way to a shadowy, more intimate posterior, designed for some serious eating. Like its sister restaurant, the menu is meat-heavy and the kitchen makes good use of the traditional Argentine grill or 'parrilla'.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Voršilská 14, Nové M?sto, Praha 1

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A room with a view is a bit of an understatement when it comes to this new five-star, one-room hotel sited in Prague's recently renovated television tower. Housed in its own capsule, the luxury suite – not part of the original renovation plans, but conceived as a result of some unexpected saved space – is perched 70m above the city and fitted with Vitra furnishings, a Hastens bed and a freestanding tub from which you can soak in the view. Located in a quiet park in Prague's distinctive Žižkov neighbourhood – a residential area known for its bars, cafes and clubs - the 216m Tower Park Praha (renamed from Žižkov Television Tower) was built in 1985 and completed in 1992. Owned by ?eské Radiokomunikace, the tower still serves its original telecommunications function. However, from 93m down, the Oreathea group, who signed a twenty-year lease on the tower's public spaces, hired Prague-based Atelier SAD to transform the interior. Including a new restaurant, bistro and bar at 66m and an updated observation platform at 93m, the result is a minimalistic design, complemented by some unique detailing and a space age-esque feel – all of which enhance a truly out-of this-world view.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

1 Mahlerovy Sady
Prague
Czech Republic

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Located a stone's throw from Prague's old town square, in a building that dates from 1908, Emblem is the second offering from the local family-run hoteliers, Olga Valtrova and her son Richard, who have recruited local architecture firm RAP and Canadian integrated design outfit Dialog to conceive their 59-room luxury lodgings. The duo, along with the owners, have overseen every detail of the project, which includes strong materials such as Canadian marble flooring, textured wallpaper, leather wall coverings and various woods, offset by original artworks and bespoke furnishings by designers Marlieke van Rossum and Vladimir Kagan. Public spaces comprise an upper level spa in calming sea greens, and an adjacent rooftop bar offering sprawling views of the city. Below deck, guests can eat at the American-style steakhouse or simply rub shoulders with the city's elite at Prague's first member's club.

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Platnérská 19
110 00
Prague
Czech Republic

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