On the banks of the Vltava River in Český Krumlov, you can visit the intimate Clementine House guesthouse, designed by the Architéka studio and architect Lucie Němcová. The complex is housed in a former farm building dating from the late 18th century, which has undergone a complete transformation. From now on, this place is dedicated to relaxation, art and connection with the landscape, and the interiors open out onto the river and the newly landscaped garden.
Clementine House – a place with history
The client, Anna Gášpárová, purchased the property with her husband in 2019. She invited architects Lucie Němcová and Tereza Komárková, with whom she had maintained close ties for years, to collaborate on the project. During the project, a site manager and a landscape architect also joined the team. During the renovation, the most valuable features of the original building were preserved, including the exposed wooden beams and stone walls. The new elements, however, were given a more modest form so as not to overshadow the history.
Apartments overlooking the Vltava
On the first floor, two spacious apartments have been created, overlooking the river and the garden. Their layout can be flexibly modified using large-format sliding panels, whose surfaces are adorned with original paintings by the Czech artist Patrik Hábla. A sculpturally shaped staircase leads from the communal area to the attic, where there are three further rooms. The rooms open onto the roof truss, and the reproductions on the walls echo motifs found in Hábla’s work. The ground floor, meanwhile, has been reserved for the owner’s private use.
Stone, wood and craftsmanship
The interiors feature primarily natural stone, wooden surfaces and hand-applied cement finishes, combined with woodwork and metal details. These are complemented by restored antiques and carefully selected furniture and fittings by Czech and Slovak designers and local manufacturers. A great deal of attention has been paid to the bathrooms here. In some rooms, the baths have been placed directly in the bedrooms to emphasise their intimate atmosphere.
The navy blue staircase at Clementine House
The most significant change in terms of architecture was the redesign of the circulation. External steps were dispensed with in favour of an internal connection between all floors. A navy blue steel staircase now winds its way through the building, from the ground floor up to the attic. Thanks to the new interior layout, the rooms have clear visual axes, more natural light and a sense of spaciousness. The former dark rooms of the stone house have been ‘opened up’, whilst retaining their historical atmosphere.
design: Tereza Komárková
[Architéka]
, Lucie Němcová
photographs: Václav Novák
Read also:Czech Republic|Holiday home|Minimalism|Interiors|Wood|whiteMAD on Instagram
