When the new owner approached Atelier Hajný in 2019 to develop a project for the reconstruction of a historic villa in one of the most beautiful parts of Prague, it was clear from the outset that they were faced with a task requiring not only expertise, but also determination. The house, although located in a prestigious villa colony dating back to 1912 and founded by the Building Cooperative of Prague Journalists and Writers, was in poor technical condition. The investor’s expectations were high, and modern standards of comfort and technology were unrelenting. Thus began a tale of several years of saving precious architecture.
The villa, designed by architects Tomáš Pražák and Pavel Moravc, was put into use in the 1930s. Today, it is located in the conservation zone, which imposes strict rules for interference. Atelier Hajný worked on one half of the semi-detached building, trying to restore its former character while adapting it to the modern needs of multi-generational use.
The new structure
The house has two entrances: the lower one, from Benešovská Street, and the upper one, on foot, from Bratří Čapků. It was from the south that one of the most important interventions began – the reconstruction of the garage, originally squeezed into the slope. The old structure was too small and in a poor state of repair, so it was replaced by a new reinforced concrete structure that serves a double function: it houses the garage and provides support for the garden extending over its roof. For the convenience of the residents, the two levels were connected by a lift.
Characteristic of the villa were the elevations of exposed concrete brick. The new garage received a finish faithful to this material, while a different solution was required for the house itself. The original bricks were in a terrible state – they had been covered with paint in the past, which had damaged the structure of the material. After consultation with conservationists, it was decided to cover the walls with a two-centimetre layer of bricks cut on site from solid concrete bricks. Other materials were also chosen to preserve the historic character: rough plaster in an ochre shade, traditional beaver tail roof tiles, and new windows with a division that refers to the original, but fitted with heat-insulating glass. The south façade is complemented by replicas of the former wooden shutters.
The most debated element was the extension over the former terrace. The final form was designed not to dominate the historic block. It is subtly differentiated from it by its detailing – the lack of a cornice or the retracted entrance to the roof of the lighted attic – but remains in harmony with it.
From a single-family villa to a multi-generational house
The original four-storey layout reflected the function of a single-family home. The basement housed the utility rooms, the ground floor and ground floor housed the flat, and the attic was used occasionally. Each level had approximately 120 sq m of usable space.
The investor expected to create additional flats in the basement and attic. As a beautiful wooden staircase only connected the ground floor with the first floor, Atelier Hajný designed a new staircase in the north-east corner, leading only to the attic. In the basement, lighting was improved with a new window well and additional windows, and the flat gained independent entrances from both sides of the garden.
The ground floor and ground floor required the least changes – the layout and proportions of the rooms were retained, with only the addition of bathrooms and technical areas. Particular attention was paid to the original elements: the partition wall with sliding doors between the kitchen and the living room and the adjoining built-in window units were painstakingly restored. The interior doors, although not suitable for restoration, were recreated as faithful copies. The wooden staircase of the main flat has been treated and left in place, right next to the two-storey window overlooking the garden, which brings the warm light of the western sun into the interior.
A meeting of the eras
During the work, the designers uncovered successive layers of the building’s history while confronting its dire state. Very little could be preserved, which paradoxically opened the way to a conscious, precise dialogue between the old and the contemporary. All the new furniture fittings were designed to be modern yet rooted in the craftsman’s tradition. The dark surfaces are finished with stained oak veneer and the handles are made of solid oak, hand-finished.
The relationship between old and new permeates the entire project: from the parquet pattern and window profiles with insulating glass, to the classic ivory shade on the built-ins, to the concealed underfloor heating powered by a heat pump. Two 200-metre-deep boreholes were placed under the new garage, integrating modern technology with the historic structure.
The selection of free-standing furniture became an important element. Atelier Hajný reached for the offer of Modernista, a company specialising in faithful replicas of Czech cubism, functionalism and art déco. Several carefully selected pieces were juxtaposed with timeless solitaires – a marble dining table or a minimalist sofa in the living room.
The designers emphasise that the aim of the entire renovation was not to create a museum of the 1930s. The villa, functionally and technologically transformed, could not fulfil such a role. Instead, they opted for a conscious contrast that allows the old and contemporary elements to carry on a conversation about the sustainability of Czech and European design. The villa has regained its dignity and at the same time gained new life – not as a reconstruction of the past, but as its creative continuation.
design: Atelier Hajný
photography: Radek Úlehla
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