Generous duplex apartment in the center of Prague

Ing. architect Radka Valová and Ing. architect Martin Moravec from the OOOOX studio are credited with a successful reconstruction of a duplex apartment in the historic center of Prague. The specific atmosphere was enhanced by, among other things, retro rotary switches from the Hager berker 1930 series in a bakelite finish. The architects sensitively used both black and white colors of the switches from this design line in various places throughout the interior. While in the kitchen, bathroom, or hallway, they chose the color of the switch to blend with the used surface, elsewhere they emphasized the beauty of the berker 1930 switches by using contrasting colors in relation to the surface.

The apartment in the city center was created by combining two apartments one above the other. Since the building had already undergone a significant renovation in the past, the architects discovered rough concrete ceilings after exposing the drywall ceilings, which they decided to acknowledge in the interior. This created an interesting contrast between historical details, such as profiles or paneling, and the rough concrete. Another play of contrast in the interior was achieved by the architects with the imaginative use of the rotary switches from the berker 1930 series, employing both white and black colors of the switches.

The entire interior is styled in monochromatic colors with small brass accents. The lower entrance level features a living room with a guest room and amenities, while the upper level houses the kitchen with a dining area and a private bedroom. Each floor has its own bathroom. The largest space in the whole apartment is the living room. A bay window provides an interesting view of the street and is used for built-in seating. Massive steel bookshelves stand out on both opposing walls of the living room. However, the staircase rightfully draws the most attention, as it runs through the center of the room and leads to the kitchen on the upper floor, creating an optical division for the home office. The staircase consists of a suspended steel structure that levitates above the lower level, while its first steps are formed by a solid masonry mass.

The kitchen is separated from the staircase by a glass partition. The cooking island is followed by a wide dining table with an atypical metal base that protrudes through the tabletop. The striking lighting, provided by the design shop Monobrand, takes care of the visual connection between the cooking island and the dining table. "The lighting crowns the interior," explains Katrin Grund, the founder of the Monobrand brand. "We collaborated with the architects from the OOOOX studio on the lighting concept for the entire apartment. This wasn't our first joint project, and I believe that here too, with the sensitive selection of fixtures, we managed to create a coherent and harmonious impression that the interior ultimately exudes,” concludes Katrin Grund.

Photo: KIVA Photography
Used products: berker Series 1930, bakelite, white and black colors