Apartment in Bubeneč

The apartment is located in a traditional tenement building in Bubeneč and features relatively high ceilings and large windows overlooking a quiet street. The new owner bought the apartment in its original condition, which required a complete renovation.

Layout
In the original apartment, an inadequate kitchen was located in the hallway, which provided access to the bathroom and two equally sized rooms. The design involved a complete reconfiguration of the layout. The new arrangement offers generous storage space in the entrance hall and a larger bathroom with a separate toilet. The living area now comprises a living room connected to the kitchen. Adjoining the kitchen is a bright bedroom, separated from it by a glazed partition that allows daylight to penetrate deeper into the apartment. Glazing does, however, have its drawbacks—to prevent disturbance from light and noise, a heavy blackout curtain can be drawn in the bedroom, providing the necessary peace and quiet when, for example, one partner gets up earlier.

Materials and Notable Details
The renovation included soundproofing by adding wall linings along the partitions adjoining neighbouring apartments. Some of the floor build-ups and finishes were also modified: the rooms feature dark oak parquet complemented by stone-effect ceramic tiles. Unusually, the tiling extends into the living area, visually connecting the kitchen and living room, making the kitchen appear larger, and retaining the option of connecting a small wood-burning stove to the existing chimney in the future, with the non-combustible flooring already in place.

Ceramic tiles in four shades were waterjet-cut into triangles and assembled into bespoke mosaic “rugs” in the entrance hall and kitchen. The recurring 45° motif links the shapes of the bay window, parquet and tiling, and also appears in the bespoke sofa made to fit the alcove beneath the window and in the shape of the bathroom mosaic.

Most of the furniture was designed specifically for this apartment. The chosen combination of walnut veneer, a warm grey shade and brass details complements the dark floor. The brass colour is repeated on the striking radiator in the living room, on cupboard doors that provide ventilation where needed, and on the wooden chest of drawers beneath a “picture” of exposed original plaster. A metallic finish is also used somewhat unconventionally on the wooden cabinet / bench in the living room. On wood, it appears matt and more understated, preserving the material’s natural grain.

The splashback behind the kitchen units features a delicate textile wallpaper that continues seamlessly into the bedroom in the same band, reinforcing the sense of a connected space. In the kitchen, the wallpaper is protected by toughened glass.

Fresh accents of colour are provided by blue chairs and striking wallpaper in the entrance hall featuring a detail from a work by Henri Matisse, with additional storage unexpectedly concealed behind it.