Maisonette in Prague
The generous duplex apartment (346m2) with 160m2 of outside space extends over two floors of a new building in the Josefov district of Prague.
The generous duplex apartment (346m2) with 160m2 of outside space extends over two floors of a new building in the Josefov district of Prague. Located in the winding streets of the Jewish quarter where Jaroslav Foglar placed his legendary shadows, the mysterious courtyards and passageways that still spark the imagination today and lend the building a special appeal. The owners, art collectors with an open mind, asked architect and designer Rudolf Netík of RN architectural studio to work on their new home. Netik could hardly have asked for a more favourable starting point. He rose to the occasion and won first prize in the Interior of the Year 2020 competition.
"Ricardo Boffil's house is stunningly set in its surroundings. Its truly cutting-edge modern architecture is sensitive yet without compromise. It is said that the most beautiful phase of building a great house is the rough construction. And since we took over the space in shell and core condition, I decided to preserve this beauty," explains Rudolf Netík. Fortunately, the owners liked his idea of adding raw ceilings, floors and unplastered walls. It promised an interesting contrast with their artwork, which make a significant contribution to the final effect of the interior.
The first floor of the apartment houses a large living area with an entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, reading corner and library. It also hides a secret room – an exquisitely kitted out men's study. A secret world for the master of the house. The second floor of two wings belongs exclusively to the owners. The apartment never ceases to surprise in every corner. One of the most striking elements is the almost sculptural spiral staircase in orange connecting the two floors. A grand piano, the generous library stretching across both floors of the apartment, the lux spheres replacing the classical panelling or partitions all work to keep the space as airy and transparent as possible and complement the glass art objects by Václav Cigler, among others.
Special attention was paid to lighting and it shows on very first impression. Rudolf Netík was not satisfied with the standard offer on the market and designed the lighting of the apartment to suit. For example, the spiral staircase stands in dialogue with the shape of the luminaire placed above it. Similarly, the ceiling luminaires correspond to the shape of the grand piano or the kitchen island. Another original element is the large-diameter round luminaire, which de facto defines and delimits the living space. The lighting is controlled by black rotary switches berker R.classic from the manufacturer Hager, which were supplied by the design shop Monobrand. "The berker R.classic switches fit in perfectly with the philosophy of the interior," explains Katrin Grund, owner and founder of the Monobrand store. "Every detail in the interior design was matched, and I'm glad the choice fell on these berker R.classic switches. With their round shape and yet highly modern look, they also balance on the edge of old and new, tradition and modernism, past and present, just like the entire apartment," concludes Katrin Grund.
A record 211 Czech and Slovak architects and interior designers entered the Interior of the Year 2020 competition. In the winning interior by Rudolf Netík, the jury particularly appreciated the respect for the spirit of the place of Prague's Josefov district, with which the interior, despite its modernity, perfectly corresponds. The jury particularly highlighted the fact that the author did not use mass-produced luminaires, but designed original lighting tailored to the space. He naturally combined historical with modern elements and sensitively incorporated the owners' artworks into the space.
Project: Maisonette apartment in Prague
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Architect: Rudolf Netik
External partners: Monobrand
Products and solutions: berker Serie R.classic
