Symmetry Apartment | Ale Preda Architecture

The original layout of this apartment in the center of Prague had four rooms organized around a large entry vestibule–a typical configuration for this typology of elegant downtown residences. The kitchen, previously situated in the upper right quadrant, was disconnected from the living area. The only bathroom opened into the entry hall with a door adjacent to the kitchen door. Moreover, the entry hall felt too large a space to have no access to natural light.

The new configuration introduces two abstract and perfectly symmetrical volumes connected by a cube, reducing the size of the entry vestibule and creating a sculptural object that reads as a graft in the original fabric. These volumes contain two bathrooms, one used for guests and the kids and another accessible within the master suite. In addition, the kitchen shifted to the upper left quadrant to create direct access to the living room.

The vibrant color scheme, loosely inspired by the symbolic use of color at Adolf Loos’ Muller Villa nearby, reinforces the general sense of symmetry of the layout while creating a visual connection among the rooms when seen through the thresholds. Symmetry is vertical in the entry foyer and horizontal in the other rooms, where a datum at the elevation half-point divides each room into two bands of colors. The color palette is meant to work independently in each room but also cohesively as a whole.

The original herringbone wood floor and the double doors were restored. At areas where wood flooring was missing, we specified a matching maple floor laid out at a 45-degree angle to differentiate it from the historical one.

The furniture complements the interior architecture and uses vintage mid-century modern pieces mixed with contemporary ones. The MiMi dining table in the kitchen is designed by Ale Preda for Miduny (www.miduny.com). The living room sideboard is the U-452, an original Czech Design from the 1960's by Jiří Jiroutek. The bathroom vanities were custom designed for this project and built by a local millworker.

Design Team

Alessandro Preda (Principal; alepreda architecture; www.alepreda.com),

Nicola Brasetti (Project Manager; alepreda architecture)

Project Year: 2019-2020

Completion Year: 2020

Gross Floor Area: 1400 square feet

Photo Credits: Honza Zima

Materials

Oak – Flooring and trims

Ceramic – Tiles

Walnut and Laminate - Vanities

Gypsum Wall Board and metal studs – Inserted elements

Steel– Lintels at new openings

Products and Brands

Furniture - MiMi dining table by Miduny (kitchen)- www.miduny.com; Woody low shelf by Hay (living room); Saarinen Tulip table by Knoll (living room); Maho sofa by Wendelbo.

Plumbing Fixtures – Hansgrohe (bathroom), Palazzani (kitchen)

Bathroom Tiles– Graph by Ceramica Vogue, ceramicavogue.it

Pendants – Flower Pot by & Tradition(kitchen), Semi Pendant by Gubi (living room); Parentesi by Flos (living room); Rice Paper Shade by Hay (living room); Fluid Pendant by Muuto (Entry Foyer).

Additional information

The entire process, from ideation to final completion, was managed remotely due to the pandemic.