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Light, sight, flowing space and garden greenery
Light, Vistas, Flowing Space, and Garden Greenery
Located on the edge of the Tejnka urban reserve in Prague’s Břevnov district, this intimately sized apartment building was designed around the turn of the millennium by architect Jan Kupka. The building faces the wooded garden on the south side, creating a unique interior world. The previous owner combined the two apartments on the west side into a duplex, with a heavy traditional staircase connecting the upper and lower floors. We were commissioned by our long-term owner friends to evaluate this house – where practical conditions and spatial potential meet head-on. We had previously renovated another home for this family of five, so we knew them well. As children grow, families need more space. Initially, we had reservations about their enthusiasm for the duplex: the quality of the construction, the horizontal layout with great depth and severe lack of sunlight, and the requirement to maximize the use of the existing interior space, which had already been heavily renovated, posed clear challenges. However, the possibility of making fuller use of the corner location of the apartment and strengthening the connection between the house and the garden prompted us to completely adjust the floor plan and take the daily living experience of the family to a new level.
This intimate apartment building on the edge of the Tejnka urban conservation area in Prague’s Břevnov district was originally designed by architect Jan Kupka at the turn of the millennium. He created a distinctive inner world oriented toward a mature southern garden. The previous owners had combined two apartments in the western section into a duplex with a bulky, traditional staircase. This was the baseline we were asked to evaluate for our long-term investors and friends—a direct clash of reality and potential. Having already renovated one of their previous homes, we know this five-member family incredibly well. As the children grew, they needed more space. Initially, we tempered their enthusiasm for this duplex. The construction quality, deep transverse layout with a severe lack of daylight, and the brief to maximize the use of an interior that had already undergone a costly renovation presented clear challenges. However, the opportunity to better utilize the apartment’s corner position and intensify its connection with the garden pushed us toward a radical layout change, shifting the family’s daily living experience forward.
▼Living space and spiral staircase, Living space and spiral staircase © Studio Flusser
New layout: guided by light
A New Layout: Guided by Light
We moved the entrance to the apartment away from the public staircase so that the entryway no longer falls in a central area that needs to be walked through, and added a spacious walk-in closet behind a mirrored door.
Repositioning the apartment entrance away from the building’s common staircase redirected the foyer outside of the walk-through central layout, allowing us to add a spacious walk-in closet behind mirrored doors.
▼Entrance hall and mirrored storage doors, Entrance hall and mirrored storage doors © Studio Flusser
Key to the transformation was the introduction of natural light into the interior from a third direction – the west gable of the building – and visually opening the space towards a terrace with a new roof garden. Greenery enters the interior through large fixed glass windows in the dining room and kitchen. What was once a dark interior corridor is now an integral part of the lower circulation space. The combination of side lighting, south-facing sunlight and transverse sightlines gives the entire living area a new light environment.
▼Spatial relationship axonometric drawing,
Axonometric diagram of spatial relationships © esté architekti
The pivotal moment of the transformation was bringing natural light into the inner layout from a third direction—the western gable of the house—and visually opening the space onto the terrace with its new roof garden. Greenery now penetrates the interior through large-format fixed windows in both the dining room and the kitchen. What was once a dark internal corridor has become a fully-fledged part of the lower floor’s flowing space. By combining lateral daylighting, southern exposure, and a transverse vista, the entire living area gained a completely new luminous quality.
▼View through the kitchen towards dining room © Studio Flusser
▼Restaurant, Dining space © Studio Flusser
To free up floor space as much as possible, we replaced the original double staircase with a lightweight champagne-colored metal spiral staircase. This brought a huge technical challenge: the entire staircase had to be transported to the site in pieces, welded, filled and finished, and finally presented with a flawless effect like the entire factory spray paint. A dimmable Barisol soft film ceiling is installed above the stairs, replacing the originally envisioned roof skylight with a simple structure to avoid overly complex structural changes caused by the latter.
To maximize floor space, we replaced the original two-flight staircase with a sleek, champagne-shaded metal spiral one. It was an immense technical challenge—the entire structure had to be delivered in pieces, welded, filled, and finished directly on-site to look like a flawless, factory-lacquered element. A dimmable Barisol stretch ceiling above the stairs acts as a clean, structural substitute for our originally considered rooftop skylight, which would have been structurally over-complicated.
▼Spiral staircase © Studio Flusser
▼Spiral staircase detail, Spiral staircase detail © Studio Flusser
Functional box and material splicing
Functional Boxes and Material Patchwork
A pair of striking dark teal boxes form an important feature of the interior. Bold colors make them appear as independent objects. The lower box integrates the guest bathroom, storage space, and a small bar. The wine cabinet is hidden behind the cabinet door that can be stowed away on the side.
A defining feature of the interior is a pair of striking petrol-blue boxes, a bold color accent chosen to let them function as standalone objects. The lower box integrates a guest bathroom, storage, and a small bar with a wine fridge concealed behind pocket doors.
▼Blue box, Blue box © Studio Flusser
▼ Dining room viewing towards concealed bar © Studio Flusser
▼Concealed bar detail © Studio Flusser
▼Bathroom within the blue box © Studio Flusser
A second blue box is located on the upper level, naturally separating the master bedroom from the en-suite shower room.
The second blue box is located on the upper floor, where it seamlessly separates the primary bedroom from the ensuite shower.
▼Master bedroom and shower room, Bedroom and shower © Studio Flusser
▼Shower, Shower © Studio Flusser
▼Bathroom in the primary suite © Studio Flusser
The original living space lacked a proper dining area. By moving the dining table out of the kitchen, we freed up enough space to install a large bar and use natural stone as the owners wanted. These stones are carefully spliced throughout the apartment: the main surface of the bar is Patagonia quartzite, while the freestanding base is made of white Portogallo Estramoz marble. A third stone – deep red Rosso Levanto marble – emerges from the dining room’s ruby red lacquered niches. In order to make full use of the stone slabs and reduce material waste, we played a complex game of “Tetris” to optimize the cutting plan, which cost both us and the supplier a lot of thought. The rest of the bespoke woodwork, surfaces and fabrics are in neutral cream, off-white or soft light beige.
The living space originally lacked a proper dining area. Moving the table out of the kitchen freed up ample room for a generous bar counter, where the investor wished to work with natural stone. We interwove these materials throughout the entire apartment in a sophisticated patchwork: Quartzite Patagonia was used for the main surfaces of the bar counter, while white Portogallo Estramoz marble forms its free-standing base. A third stone, deep red Rosso Levanto marble, peeks out from a ruby-red lacquered niche in the dining room. We played a complex game of “Tetris” to optimize the cutting plans for maximum utilization of the stone slabs without wasting material, which gave us and the supplier quite a headache. All other built-in joinery, surfaces, and textiles are kept in neutral cream, off-white, or soft shades of beige.
▼Open kitchen and dining space © Studio Flusser
▼Natural-stone bar counter and detail, Natural-stone bar counter and detail © Studio Flusser
▼Study and built-in storage © Studio Flusser
▼A corner of the study © Studio Flusser
▼Detail of the blue surfaces © Studio Flusser
Art: a natural extension of life
Art as a Natural Extension of Life
The owner loves contemporary art and has established a sizable collection, which is managed by curator Pavel Kubesa. Paintings and installations fit naturally into their daily lives, so we take artwork into consideration from the beginning of the design. The placement of several pieces has been specially planned. An independently arranged spiral staircase allows continuous viewing of Petr Dub’s fluorescent red sculpture, which is divided into two sections and extends downwards from the upper level. Lukáš Novák’s glass and crystal piece is positioned exactly on the axis of the kitchen’s stone bar. We also precisely adjusted the color tone of the blue box in the master bedroom to echo the warm colors in the nearby Ira Svobodová painting.
The investors have a deep passion for contemporary art and have built a remarkable collection, managed by curator Pavel Kubesa. The paintings and installations are a natural part of their daily lives, and we factored them into the design from the very beginning. Several pieces were curated for specific locations. The free-standing position of the spiral staircase allows for continuous views of a neon-red sculpture by Petr Dub, which flows in two sections from the upper floor down. A glass crystal by Lukáš Novák is perfectly positioned on the axis of the kitchen’s stone counter. We also precisely color-matched the shade of the blue box in the master bedroom to complement the warmer tones of an accompanying painting by Ira Svobodová.
▼Master bedroom, Primary bedroom © Studio Flusser
▼Blue box in the bedroom open and closed © Studio Flusser
children’s world
Children’s Worlds
The children’s room is more playful and does not strictly continue the visual language of the rest of the apartment. The design started with a co-creation workshop: we sat with mothers and children and drew their wishes. Thus, the girls’ room, in two shades of pink, has a secret door to the bunk beds and a swing, while the boys’ room has gymnastics rings, upholstered ribs, a projector and a large drawing lamp. The original entrance door of this floor is hidden in the wooden veneer of the upper corridor, which serves as a backup passage for carrying large items; the entrance and exit to the flat roof stairs are also hidden in it.
The children’s rooms are more playful and not strictly tied to the visual identity of the rest of the apartment. The design began with a collaborative workshop where we sat down with the mother and the kids to sketch their wishes. As a result, the girls’ room features two shades of pink, a secret door leading to a bunk bed, and a swing. The boys’ room includes gymnastic rings, wall bars with mats, a projector, and a large drawing lamp. Hidden within the timber wall cladding of the upper corridor are the original entrance doors to this level—kept as a backup for moving larger items—as well as the exit to the stairs leading up to the flat roof.
▼Upper staircase and corridor space, Upper staircase and corridor © Studio Flusser
Connected to the outdoors
Outdoor Connectivity
The newly added view of the indoor landscape naturally led to the need to transform the adjacent outdoor space. We completely updated the existing green roof above the ground-floor garage: there is a wooden deck area for comfortable sitting, and a densely planted green area with mature tamarisk shrubs, raspberries and wild strawberries is purely for family fun. The original washed concrete tiles on the balcony were replaced with simpler large-format ceramic floor tiles, and the new greenery partially echoed the mature garden below.
The new interior vistas naturally triggered a need to address the adjoining exterior. We completely transformed the original green roof above the ground-floor garage: a section with decking is designed for comfortable seating, while an intensive green area overflowing with mature amelanchier (serviceberry) bushes, raspberries, and wild strawberries is there purely for the family’s pleasure. The old washed concrete tiles on the balconies were replaced with simpler, larger-format ceramic tiles, and the greenery partially responds to the mature garden below.
▼View from the garden into the dining room © Studio Flusser
The entire implementation process was filled with personal input. The female owner participated in almost every site inspection and poured her energy into it. The seamless connection between the interior and the surrounding environment, coupled with the rare tranquility of this location, makes this duplex feel more like an independent family home. Gardens, raspberries, wood and a fireplace – the only thing missing is a rooftop sauna.
The entire realization was deeply personal. The client was present at almost every single site inspection day, pouring her own energy into the process. Thanks to this seamless connection between the interior and its surroundings, combined with the unusually peaceful nature of the locality, the duplex feels more like a standalone family house. A garden, raspberries, wood, a fireplace. The only thing missing is a rooftop sauna.
▼Lower-level plan before renovation © esté architekti
▼Lower-level plan after renovation © esté architekti
▼Upper-level plan before renovation © esté architekti
▼Upper-level plan after renovation © esté architekti
Project information
Project name: Břevnov Duplex
Location: Břevnov, Prague, Czech Republic
Studio: esté architekti
Authors: Michal Škrna, Tereza Tejkalová, Tomáš Pavlakovič
Project year: 2024–2025
Completion year: 2025
Studio address: Přístavní 1363/1, 17 000 Prague, Czech Republic
Contact E-mail: info@estearchitekti.cz
Website: www.estearchitekti.cz
Social media: www.instagram.com/estearchitekti, www.facebook.com/estearchitekti
Photographer: Studio Flusser, www.studioflusser.com, info@studioflusser.com
Collaborators and suppliers:
Roof garden and outdoor landscaping: La Vida Verde, www.lavidaverde.cz
Complete supply of built-in furniture and steel staircase: Miba Interior, www.mibainterior.cz
Stone elements: Projekt kámen, www.projektkamen.cz
Cement screeds: QualiBau, www.qualibau.com
Blue ceramic wall and floor tiles in bathrooms: Archtiles, www.archtiles.cz
Windows: HOGGA, www.hogga.cz
Lighting: Jan Obermann, www.obermann.cz
Furniture: Designpropaganda, , Arkhe, www.arkhe.cz
Art collection: HCAC, curator Pavel Kubesa, www.hcac.art, www.instagram.com/pavel_kubesa
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