Family house in Modřany

In the city, but mainly in nature
On the outskirts of Prague, in places where urban neighborhoods have long been left behind, two young spouses, Veronika and Zdeněk Brázdil, found a beautiful plot at the end of the development.

A road leads to the lot, which literally ends there. Beyond that, there are only meadows and forests. The placement of the single-story bungalow at the front part of the plot facing the street provides both residents with plenty of space and creates privacy, not only from the street side but also from the nearest neighbors.
 

Spatial concept

A house that protects privacy
The house is in the shape of the letter "L", has a small semi-atrium, opens up to a private garden, and is completely closed off from the street. The positioning of the bungalow divides the garden into three parts - the street part, where large grasses and shrubs grow, welcomes the owners upon their return with this "urban garden." It connects to the central living garden - a covered pergola with a terrace and pool, creating a quiet cove around the owners' rooms and bedroom, and finally, a generously designed main part of the "wild" garden. This garden is conceived in such a way that it changes color throughout the year, and through expansive windows replacing solid walls, it offers a constantly beautiful and daily changing view of nature. In the living space with the kitchen, the owners have thus gained an enormous living picture. The original: lushly green in summer, playing all colors in autumn, and calm, quiet, and white in winter.
 

Main desire

Connecting living space with terrace and garden
The house itself is a structurally single-story brick building in low-energy standards. Light tones and natural materials have been used in both the interior and exterior. Combined with large glazed areas, you have a strong sense that you are living right in the garden. The couple's brief for the garden was to merge living outside and inside while respecting the natural character of the surrounding landscape of forests and meadows, to sensitively merge with nature. The garden itself contains hidden parts and details, for example, in the form of a bamboo grove by the covered terrace or a composition of stones, evoking memories of journeys through Japan.
 

The concept of happy living

A house that is a home
The bungalow in Modřany is another of the family houses that fulfills the concept of comfortable living by Kunc Architects. "We have countless years of work behind us, many family houses and probably thousands of hours of conversations, many meetings, exchanges of opinions, and life experiences. We have created our own 'philosophy of living,' a summary of our positive experiences and clever ideas distilled from previous conversations with clients and from our homes and interiors. Of course, this summary alone brings happiness to no one. But it can bring a great result - a family house that gives its residents joy and a sense of home. Because our architecture is precisely about living, and living for us means home, a happy home."
And this is also the case with this realization, where it has been possible to embody this philosophy thanks to the harmony with the owners literally at 200%, adds the author of the philosophy of comfortable living and chief architect and founder of the studio, Michal Kunc.

Words from Veronika Brázdilová

"My husband and I chose the work of AKA, both Michals, because we have been following the work of the studio for a long time, we share their philosophy that architecture is primarily about comfortable living, and we really like how Michal works in the studio with the connection between indoors and outdoors, and with the overall atmosphere and emotions.
Later, we became close friends during our meetings, found the same interests and hobbies, and are even preparing an interesting joint project for the future, which will also deal primarily with the comfort of living and how to enjoy it as much as possible," says house owner Veronika Brázdilová.
"Personally, at the beginning, I was most intrigued by Michal's approach, a lively discussion about us, how we live, what our needs are, but also our dreams and wishes, our lifestyle. From that, the original house and living space emerged just for us," adds Veronika Brázdilová about their mutual synergy.
 
A house full of memories of traveling
The owners enjoy wandering around the world. That was something they shared with architect Michal Kunc from the beginning.
The interior and living in the house have been sensitively designed so that memories from travels in the form of artifacts and artistic collectibles function as accessories to the modern airy house connected with nature outside. The artifacts enhance the feeling of uniqueness and originality. The house then acts as a painting or a poem.

Who lives in the house

An interview with Veronika Brázdilová
Veronika currently works as the CEO of XEROX for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Previously, she held leading positions in sales and marketing at O2, CCS, SGS, and Eurotel. In the technology business, she strives to bring more humanity and empathy as a woman while changing established rules. She has also actively been involved in leadership and mentoring for many years.

Right from the start, the question arises referring to the concept of happy living by Kunc Architects: are you happy in your house in Modřany?
We are! It is our home; we felt that from the beginning. Michal talked a lot about the emotions that the house should evoke to become a home. And that succeeded. Both my husband and I love company and friends; there are often many people here, and I see how everyone is happy here, and that brings me joy.

How does the house change in different seasons and times of the day?
The house is an integral part of the garden; it has "grown" more and more into it. Because we often are inside due to the weather or after returning from work, we perceive the house more as living in the garden than as a building. Thanks to the large windows, we always have the garden and its changes and the moods of nature at home. It calms us and shapes much of our lifestyle. Now it is autumn, we look forward to evening gatherings with a fire in the fireplace and a peaceful atmosphere, with views of the darkening sky through the windows. Each season brings something different: autumn and campfires with roasting sausages, winter and sitting warmly by the fireplace, spring and flowers, and above all, summer, by the pool and outside!

The connection between the interior and the exterior is almost absolute: do you not feel a loss of privacy?
At the start, we had a slight concern, but right after moving in, we were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of coziness and comfort and the nice energy that radiates from the house and the place. Michal designed the house along with the complete furnishing of the interior and furniture, so we moved into an almost finished interior that we knew from the study and were looking forward to. Today, I see the large glazed areas as a great advantage; we observe the garden and the moods of the weather and are a part of it. That’s something my husband and I have always wished for.

The house, among other things, creates a "container" for your collections from travels around the world - was that the intention?
Yes, it was. We talked a lot with Michal about our travels around the world; we all travel a lot, so it was easy to agree on the appearance of the interior that carries memories of our journeys. Michal listened to our stories and designed an interior in which our travel artifacts have designated places and create an overall atmosphere that reminds us of our travels.

Are you planning anything else together with the architect?
Yes, my husband, Michal, and I have the same energy; we love to create something, and at the moment we are preparing a new living space, again filled with an atmosphere of comfort and travel. Stay tuned.