Symmetry Apartment on Elle Decor CZ

The sliding doors into two bathrooms create another pair. Soft pastel pink on the subtle structure of Italian tiles with blue covering the tailor-made cupboard under the sink give a clear hint that we find ourselves in the children’s bathroom. Similarly to other spaces, the details are sophisticated and elaborate like the black mirror edge and/or the minimalist black lamp. The second door does not lead to another bathroom as one would assume. It opens a surprising hallway forking into a bathroom, a closet and mouths into a compact bedroom.

Silvia Preda is an elegant Italian woman, whose accent permeates into her excellent English and very good Czech. She moved to Prague twice and the second time was for good. Charmed by the richness of its architectural styles, strolling the streets lined by trees and the Prague Castle, of which she can catch a glimpse directly from her window in Bubeneč. The architect of her flat is her brother Alessandro Preda, who lives in New York and because of the pandemic has not seen his designs just yet. During the reconstruction, Silvia helped translating his visions. Thanks to their shared philosophy the work resulted into an inspiring home that combines both the cosy feeling of belonging and timeless yet very colourful and distinctive design.

From their hometown of Brescia both siblings went their own separate ways. While Alessandro’s steps directed him to New York, Silvia together with her husband went to Dubai where she worked as a sales manager of the family brand Miduny combining the first letters from all the above-mentioned cities. Miduny was created after Alessandro finished his studies at Harvard University and worked for an architectural office in New York. Eventually, he decided to found his own architectural studio alepreda and later Miduny. As an extremely open and sensitive man, Alessandro is interested in all the aspects of his designs starting from the façade to the smallest interior detail. Among his many inspirations are the works of the artist Donald Judd, designer Jean Prouvé and also the architect Adolf Loos, whose design of the famous Villa Müller and its interiors where colours define the individual functions was a strong influence for Alessandro while designing Silvia’s flat.

Silvia asks me to step back from the double-wing door. Then she opens it slowly and the beige line of the living room changes into the blue of the kitchen, now and then decorated by golden elements of lighting and cupboard handles. All my attention is drawn to the kitchen units covering the whole length of the wall where all the storage spaces are placed in its lower half. “We did not want a thousand cupboards above our heads and in no way a cooker hood. When necessary we simply open the windows,” adds Silvia. Standing by the stove I am confronted with an expressive painting covered by a plexiglass protecting it from cooking fumes. The regular practicality of the kitchen is complemented by an aesthetic experience that brings joy to daily activities.

At the end of our journey we sit down by the iconic table called MiMi from the Miduny workshop and call Alessandro to his Brooklyn flat. The charming Italian on the videocall starts an enthusiastic talk about his work describing how he likes creating handmade prototypes and how sorry he is that he has not seen Silvia’s flat yet. Everything has its time. Miduny’s logo is the crab’s claw, which bears an important message from Italo Calvino’s book Six Memos for the Next Millennium. It talks about the importance of having enough time for the perfect creation, about combining the slow and thorough thought process with the subsequent speed in implementing the idea. And what are Alessandro’s six memos? After a short pause he recites six simple, poetic and responsible slogans that guide his design: “Slowness, speed, simplicity, sustainability, tradition and innovation.” Alessandro admits that handmade production in Italy is not the most ecological, but he respects the importance of its artisan tradition. Moreover, all his tables, benches and stools are foldable to flat recyclable cardboard boxes that can travel across the globe without burdening the environment. Silvia adds that the table, by which we are sitting was easily built by her daughters. “It is incredible that the legs fit into the desk with a precision hardly discernible by the naked eye and once locked together they create a decorative element on the table top.” The inner sides of the desk and legs are furthermore cut under a small angle allowing for the play of light and shadow at different times of the day. The minimalist simplicity, precision and almost sculptural quality remind me of cubist objects by Josef Gočár and Pavel Janák. Alessandro himself mentions Janák’s cubist box as an example of extraordinary design. Both siblings keep discussing their inspirations that are resonating in the whole flat as a broad range of complementary opposites – simplicity and elaboration, old and modern, international and local.

1. Thanks to the spaciousness of the almost meditative foyer it can be used also for exercising, so important in the quarantine routine.
2. The MiMi table is a signature product of the Miduny portfolio and reflects all the elements of the rest of the interior as well as the philosophy behind it. Silvia’s favourite Flowerpot lamp after Verner Panton’s design (Nordic Nest), J77 chairs (HAY) and kelim, the Turkish carpet make perfect companions.
3. The paintings were a gift from Silvia’s parents for each of the girl in the family. Practical shelves Woody from HAY together with the iconin Isamu Noguchi table (Vitra) represent subtle, but significant elements of the living room. The small lamp Parentesi overlooking the space is from the famous brand Flos, which like Miduny comes from the Brescia region.
4. The windows overlook the trees as well as the distant scene of the Prague castle. Similarly to the living room, the lower half of the bay window is covered with the colour beige. The table after Eero Saarinen’s design and chairs by Arne Jacobsen with the hanging lamp from Gubi are first and foremost a working station, but on sunny days the family moves here for their morning brunches.
5. White, pink and pastel green from the painting are reflected in the popular cupboard by Jiří Jiroutek from the series Universal (U-450) and in the Czech glass of the vases purchased by Silvia and her parents in an antique store she loves to visit.
6. The wall between the living room and the kitchen was originally planned to be demolished, but eventually the owners were happy not to do it. The beautiful double-wing door with a unique detail on the original panelling underlines an important dialogue of colours shaping the character of each room.
7. The kitchen units are hiding a surprising skelet purchased in Ikea and completed with their own design of the front cupboard panels that were made by the Swedish company Helsingö.
8. Colours in a lively dialogue help to complete the space and fill it with a clear meaning.
9. Silvia’s favourite lamp Flowerpot after Verner Panton’s design (Nordic Nest) swings over the table from Alessandro Preda for Miduny. The kelim carpet from Turkey holds the J77 chairs from HAY. Almost invisible storage spaces stand on the other side of the room. Again, we can find the combination of classical Ikea cupboards with a self-designed decorative addition.
10. Cupboard drawn by Alessandro Preda is tailor-made for the children’s bathroom by the local carpenter Zachariáš, whose skill Silvia compares to that of Pinocchio’s father.