Like a chocolate advent calendar, this modern residence in Old Town Prague hides surprises behind every door.

This modern and minimalist residence in the heart of Old Town Prague spans an entire floor of a refurbished residential building from the late 1920s. The architecture of the building suggests a stylistic shift from art deco to early functionalism, and the team used this as the basis of their interior design concept.

The spacious apartment is intended to be an unpretentious, welcoming space, with a generous living area filled with natural light and minimal decorations and a seamless flow between the different zones of the residence.

At first glance, the main entry area appears to be a clean architectural space filled with daylight, but upon taking a closer look, one will discover that the entry area offers moments of surprise and discovery – like an advent chocolate calendar, where opening some doors leads to a different taste or mood, revealing new and unexpected materials and spaces - like a dark veneer wardrobe, a brass-clad bar or a red powder room.

The apartment is divided into 3 zones — social, private, and threshold zones.

The social zone consists of the living, dining and kitchen areas. Conceived as a light and open space with large windows along the street facade, the social zone provides a relaxed feeling with soft edges and hues. On one side it is defined by a furniture wall with a fireplace, bookshelf, a hidden TV and a bar. An office is tucked behind the furniture wall, offering a quiet space to get work done at home.

The kitchen is positioned opposite the furniture wall and is separated by a glass partition with sliding doors. A black kitchen counter creates echoes the fireplace cladding, while a wooden counter makes a twin brother to the large bespoke dining table.

The furnishings are intentionally minimalist with a neutral colour palette to establish a welcoming aura. The TV is hidden above the fireplace, which allows residents to unplug from all screens and electronics while socializing in the living area. Built-in cabinets and shelving on either side of the entertainment wall provide a spot for homeowners to showcase their cherished collectibles and minimize clutter.

Similarly, although the apartment looks minimalist with pristine white walls and seemingly simple furnishings, it is actually filled with bespoke furniture, including the washbasins, window sills, the kitchen, the large dining table and small side tables that are made of the stone leftovers. We can picture how the cool, stone window sill would be the perfect hangout by the window with an iced coffee gazing out over the bustling streets of Old Town Prague on a hot summer day.

The team also invited Studio Dechem to collaborate on the lighting of the living area, which resulted in a custom set of lights – surface lights above the sofa, suspended lights above the dining table, a brass bar above the kitchen counter and wall fixtures in the hallway, plus a little glass cabinet handle. The elegant lighting fixtures enhance the modern and simplistic interiors of the apartment, adding pleasing symmetry and a touch of colour to the otherwise neutral palette.

The generous, flowing space of the social zone is further enhanced by the furniture, such as the central sofa, with seating that faces toward the TV wall and also the kitchen to encourage interactions from all sides; even while one is preparing a meal, sliding open the kitchen partitions lets you take part in the conversation about the show on tv.

Venture away from the lively social zone and through the threshold, then you enter the more intimate “private” zone where the bedrooms are located at the rear façade. The “threshold” zone lies in between these the social and private zone and consists of corridors and bathrooms, each with a distinct character.

A dark grey corridor leads to guest and kids’ bedrooms and to a blue guest bathroom that is also accessible from the office. The colour of the corridors continues into the bedrooms with integrated doors and in-built closets. A lighter grey tone is used in the master suite, wrapping most of the bedroom with a wall cladding and an adjacent walk-in closet. The master bathroom has a light beige mood and enjoys daylight through translucent glazing in the closet.

The process of discovering the thoughtful nooks and quirky, colourful rooms of this residence is akin to a walk through the lively streets of Old Town Prague. On the surface, it may look like any other historic town, just like how this apartment is similar to other modern, minimalist homes, but there is much fun, charm and character waiting to be discovered once you take a closer look.

PROJECT DETAILS

Studio: Lenka Míková architekti

Principal Architect: Lenka Míková

Website: www.lenkamikova.com

Co-author: Martin Surovec

Project Location: Old Town of Prague

Project Country: Czech Republic

Completion Year: 2021

Usable Floor Area: 254 m²

Photographer: BoysPlayNice

Collaborators:

Custom made lighting designer and producer: Studio Dechem
Main supplier of the construction part: GigaLine
Main supplier of interor part: EXX, Flexwood
Supplier of typical lighting: Bulb