Chocolate candies in Příbram

A cozy space scented with chocolate that tells a sweet story – this is the small Pralinky shop in Příbram, featuring hand-painted unique illustrations on the walls.

One perfect room and a background that simply must fit everything, a space that presents the company's story and the product itself – this is how the design brief for the praline shop sounded. "A praline shop does not only mean small chocolate pralines, elaborate chocolate rabbits, horses, or chickens… a large number of delicious products must be appropriately displayed to entice customers' taste buds,” says Ing. arch. Michael Karnet from the Karnet architectural studio, a native of Příbram who designed the shop's spaces, and continues: “The dominant element of the space is therefore the counter in the color of dark chocolate, whose display case for chocolate products is framed by a thin brass frame.” In the corner of the room, a cozy nook has been created with a couple of armchairs, a lamp, and cushions, which creates a sense of homey comfort. The effect of a home-like environment is further emphasized by the floor evoking wooden parquet, made from narrow strips of tiles for operational reasons.

The white walls of the store are adorned with original illustrations that aim to tell the story of chocolate pralines made with love from truly quality chocolate. For the creation of the illustrations, architect Karnet contacted his former classmate Matyáš Prošek, who perfectly captured the required atmosphere: “The heart motif on the welcome wall concentrates into the center from cocoa beans, where there is a chocolate heart with a whole bean at its center. I chose this simple motif to be easily memorable and for people to associate it with the praline shop, but at the same time, the heart is detailed so they can search in it. Two chefs by the side can’t wait to start cooking more delicious chocolate,” describes the author of the illustrations and adds: “On the opposite side, there is a girl dipping a bubble blower shaped like a praline into hot chocolate and blowing pralines around the world.”

For the door, which is partially covered by the illustrated heart, the architect chose the MORGAN handle from the Czech manufacturer M&T. “To maintain the established design character of the shop's walls, the MORGAN handle with a black matte titanium finish was used in the implementation. This surface meets not only the design requirements for the entire space but also the functional ones. Titanium is a highly durable material that does not wear out or chip even after many years of everyday contact with human hands, which is more than desirable in the high-traffic environment of the shop,” says Roman Ulich, the chief designer of M&T, the only Czech manufacturer of design door fittings. The shape of the MORGAN handle narrows slightly from the rosette towards the center of the door, ensuring comfort from an ergonomic perspective. The entrance doors are then equipped with a stainless steel DENY handle, which also comes from the M&T workshop.

Title: Pralinky
Location: Příbram
Year of realization: 2019

Architect: Ing. arch. Michael Karnet, Karnet architectural studio, www.karnet.archi  
Illustrations: Matyáš Prošek, www.hiiammat.cz
Photo: Martin Zoubek