Personal Microcosm
By: Patrik Florián
Photo: Vojtěch Veškrna
After years of studying and working in London and Paris, Michal Váhala decided to move back to the Czech Republic and Prague was his obvious destination. He discovered his dream home on the fourth floor in an apartment building from the First Republic in the middle of Holešovice district. “I wished for a flat in the centre of events and Prague 7 seemed ideal. It is a progressive and dynamic area, my office is nearby and there is so much going on. I was on a flat hunt for a relatively long time, I wanted an open space, something unique and with a story as many of the new buildings seem to be lacking character. And this flat had a potential, which immediately struck me,” Michal recalls.
The windows face both east and west, the sun beams together with the Czech crystal play a joyful game of reflections and shadows throughout the day.
No wonder, the previous owners already did quite a lot of work on the 54 square metres. They opened up the ground plans and created a number of cleverly hidden storage spaces. The renovation was done without a fear of change, which proves for example an elevated platform by the kitchen window, where Michal placed his dining table. In an instant, this became his favourite spot for reading, dining and work.
The collection of glasses and water-bottles called Circle by the designer Milena Kling is hand-made by blowing into soft copper form, which bestows the glass with a distinct fluid shape.
“What I admire about the collection Circle by the designer Milena Kling and the vase Yakisugi by the legendary Japanese master Kengo Kuma are organic and irregular shapes made by hand blown glass.”
The renowned architect and artist Kengo Kuma designed a series of vases and glasses referencing the ancient Japanese natural technique of treating wood with fire called Shou-Sugi-Ban.
Further radical changes of the flat were not necessary, its new master simply changed the furniture, painted the walls in petroleum green and replaced the lights. “I enjoy actively working with light, it cannot be too little or too much. When I need to focus, I prefer stronger white lighting, however, I enjoy the warm and less intense light from many smaller sources much more, it helps me create a pleasant atmosphere.”
The table lamp Spacey was made by deconstructing the eponymous lighting from the designer Lukáš Novák, who decided to revive the original Czech glass technique, almost two hundred years old.
Following this philosophy he illuminated the living room with Spacey chandelier from the designer Lukáš Novák. “Spacey has an organic structure and perfectly complements the dark wood with colour. In a way, my flat is like a modern chalet in the city, a small sanctuary, and this solitaire is its jewel.”
The chandelier is an embodiment of the most perfect entity in space – the globe and it is offered in two versions referring to the Moon phases.
“Spacey chandelier is the crown jewel of the whole interior. I was particularly captivated by the special and fascinating technology production of lithyalin, which ensures that each piece is unique”
The unevenly coloured glass resembling gemstones or prescious minerals is made by a unique and experimental method of hand-made production of lithyalin.
Michal also fell in love with a table lamp from the same collection, which moves around the flat like a planet in its orbit. The rest is taken care of by nature herself. Windows face both east and west – the sun wakes up in the flat, its beams together with the Czech crystal make joyful reflections creating a play of shadows on the walls and toward the evening it slowly disappears on the horizon.
