Interior of showroom U1
The originally Brno-based furniture manufacturing and interior design company U1 decided some time ago to expand its products into the Prague environment. The company was faced with two fundamental tasks. To find the right location with a property and to define the new face of the showroom, thereby attracting attention at the outset and presenting the company in the best light and potential through the new showroom. For the second task, the company's management enlisted established professionals from the VRTIŠKA • ŽÁK studio.
You can find the U1 showroom in Prague's Smíchov in the administrative building Five by Skanska, right next to the Smíchov brewery.
The brief for the architects was clear – to define U1's position in a foreign environment, to differentiate the company from the competition, and to significantly increase its visibility. All with the help of their design and interior. “When U1 approached us to design their showroom, it was clear from the beginning that we wanted to maintain the industrial character and, on the contrary, highlight it with our design and put it in unexpected contexts”, expresses Vladimir Žák, the second of the duo of authors, about the beginnings. The whole is designed as an exceptionally simple and effective solution that builds on the qualities of the property and enriches it with a dominant element, whose purpose is the prominent visibility of the company and the promotion of its execution capabilities. The walls are left in raw masonry and visible concrete. The authors did not want to cover the building's structure in any way. The reason is clear: a fascination with the beauty of raw materials that stand out in the context of the environment and, last but not least, economic savings. Therefore, the authors opted for an unconventional solution in the form of a double metal floor. The panels of this floor serve as a base for the final coverings, but in the case of the U1 showroom, the decision was made to use the panels as the final surface.
You can find the U1 showroom in Prague's Smíchov in the administrative building Five by Skanska, right next to the Smíchov brewery.
The brief for the architects was clear – to define U1's position in a foreign environment, to differentiate the company from the competition, and to significantly increase its visibility. All with the help of their design and interior. “When U1 approached us to design their showroom, it was clear from the beginning that we wanted to maintain the industrial character and, on the contrary, highlight it with our design and put it in unexpected contexts”, expresses Vladimir Žák, the second of the duo of authors, about the beginnings. The whole is designed as an exceptionally simple and effective solution that builds on the qualities of the property and enriches it with a dominant element, whose purpose is the prominent visibility of the company and the promotion of its execution capabilities. The walls are left in raw masonry and visible concrete. The authors did not want to cover the building's structure in any way. The reason is clear: a fascination with the beauty of raw materials that stand out in the context of the environment and, last but not least, economic savings. Therefore, the authors opted for an unconventional solution in the form of a double metal floor. The panels of this floor serve as a base for the final coverings, but in the case of the U1 showroom, the decision was made to use the panels as the final surface.
The centerpiece of the showroom is an organic veneered wall. It houses the social facilities, storage, server room, and two meeting rooms. The aforementioned wall is a true gem of the interior. The organic floor plan eliminates sharp corners and naturally complements the surrounding space. It is made up of individual slats, which in a horizontal combination create variously toned strips, graduated from the lightest shades of wood to the darkest ones. At the points where the wall penetrates, it is as if “lifted” upwards, opening its insides to the visitors. In these places, the designers placed a large and a small meeting room, the latter of which is open and can serve for less formal meetings, unlike the large one. On the other side, the veneer is “lifted” at the points of the cloakroom and entrance to the restroom. In addition to office furniture, upholstered furniture is also showcased in the interiors. Everything is complemented by lights from the U1 Lighting division, which are cleverly distributed throughout the showroom to elegantly enhance it without competing with other products.
“The very unconventional solution was chosen by the VRTIŠKA • ŽÁK studio when working with lights. Their creativity shows how lights can be used, and I must say that it exceeded even our imagination,” comments Jiří Vévoda, Executive Director of U1 Lighting, on the authors' approach. A pleasant refreshment is the open kitchenette in the form of a large island, where one can sit down for coffee or have a snack. “We didn't want to hide anything, but rather to be maximally transparent in the interior,” adds Žák about the open kitchenette. The U1 showroom was opened at the end of 2017.
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