White apartment

The reconstruction of a 3+1 apartment in Uherské Hradiště, lasting over three years, felt like an endless process of conceptual and construction actions that gradually fulfilled the vision. Every step, every line on paper or in software was considered crucial, all-influencing. The hardest task for the architect - to design for themselves... How to recognize the reserves in the design, how to set a limit beyond which one should not go when the possibilities are finally almost unlimited?

The design was approached as an opportunity to try out certain procedures, materials, technologies. I am interested in a monochromatic space where light can be experimented with. White has many shades, tones, values. Throughout the day, the sun floods the interior with warm light around values of 2000 - 3500K. In the evening, the artificial lighting, set at 4200K, cools the space. Artificial light casts different shadows, highlights different elements, the interior transforms. Color RGB LED strips hidden in the niches of the furniture allow for dynamic coloring of the space. They can "paint" according to the current desire.

The apartment in its original 1970s condition was almost completely gutted and cleansed. The intention was to create a continuous open space that would enlarge the apartment both optically and physically. Door frames and thresholds were removed, the height of openings increased, and the parquet floors covered with a unifying polyurethane screed. The entrance door was moved so that the mass of the shower corner and storage spaces could intrude into the entrance area. The masonry wall separating the living room was replaced with a sliding 2.7m long wall. It primarily serves as a door to the study, but is most often parked in the kitchen. The rails beneath the transverse beams are covered with drywall. To create the desired plane between the beams, load-bearing steel "C" profiles were suspended, using their inner space as a side light niche. By physically connecting the hallway with the living room, the living space was significantly enlarged while also allowing for closure.

The cleansed newly created space was left in a white matte finish, including the floor. All new interventions of built-in or freestanding furniture are treated in high gloss. Besides light, as an important means of expression, the mutual relationship between matte and glossy surfaces plays an important role here, as well as the subtle contrast between structured and smooth surfaces.
Inserting a classic sofa into the narrow living room would significantly narrow the passage, and therefore it was also custom designed along with the coffee table. Above the table hovers a light object that directs white light at the graphics, also designed for this space. If a larger dining table needs to be inserted, the sofa is moved closer to the window. The sliding light allows this shift, so it still hovers above the coffee table as its accompanying echo. The furniture TV wall integrates sliding doors to the bedroom. The position of the built-in wardrobe in the bedroom was chosen in a weather-exposed corner of the house, creating a thermal shock zone. The bed conceals ample storage space with pull-outs from three sides. The study is designed as rationally as possible with an emphasis on the horizontality of lines, which optically extend the room. The library can be divided into thirds.