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Villa MORAVSKÁ Interior

The original house design divided the ground floor into too many separate rooms. For a relatively large house, the interior felt surprisingly fragmented. So we started by removing the boundaries. We opened up the ground floor, moved the kitchen and dining area into the centre of the house and gave the entrance hall a scale that matched the villa. This is also where the defining element of the interior appeared: the staircase. Not a single flight pushed against a wall, but a large spatial structure with two mirrored starting flights. Except one of them leads nowhere. And that was exactly the point.

A living room without boundaries

We moved the living room towards the edge of the plan so that one entire wall could accommodate the fireplace, television and low storage furniture. Instead of a conventional TV corner, we created one long horizontal line that continues all the way towards the staircase. The concrete texture of the wall remains visible, with a simple white fireplace volume placed in front of it. The black furniture below the television then gradually turns into a bookcase beneath the false staircase flight. A large glass partition with sliding doors separates the living room from the entrance hall. The room can be closed off when needed, but it never feels completely disconnected. Through the glass, the staircase, hall and daylight from the skylight above remain visible.

The kitchen in the middle of everything

We placed the kitchen right in the centre of the house. Not tucked away along a wall, but between the dining area, living room and entrance hall. The design is based on the contrast between two simple volumes. A tall dark unit with integrated appliances forms the backdrop, while a white island with an engineered-stone worktop sits in front of it. Nothing more was needed. The dining area continues directly from the kitchen and opens towards the terrace and garden. A long solid-wood table is paired with dark leather chairs and a group of suspended lights. The same principle of freely hanging bulbs appears again in the hall, subtly linking the different parts of the ground floor.

A staircase that cheats a little

A large hall needed a large staircase. But in practical terms, we only needed one starting flight. So we simply invented the second one. From the living room, a mirrored version of the real staircase continues towards the glass partition. It looks as though it should lead upstairs, but it ends at the glass. Instead of being used for walking, it works as a bookcase. This prevents the actual staircase from feeling pushed to one side of the hall. Viewed through the glass, both flights form a symmetrical composition and give the staircase the width and presence the space needed. Only from the intermediate landing does the staircase genuinely continue upstairs. The hall itself extends through two storeys and is lit from above by a circular skylight. Beneath it stands a tree planted in a built-in planter, while long pendant bulbs drop through the height of the space. The staircase is therefore more than just a route to the upper floor.

A black bathroom

We designed the main bathroom almost entirely in dark finishes. Not simply for effect, but because we wanted a calm space defined more by proportions and light than by decoration. Into this dark background we placed a white freestanding bathtub, two white basins and a light wooden vanity top. The shower occupies the full width of the rear part of the bathroom and is separated only by a fixed glass panel, without a door. Instead of standard bathroom fittings, we used suspended bulbs above the basins, backlighting behind the mirror and low-level lighting in the shower. In a dark bathroom, light matters much more than another decorative layer.

A bedroom hidden within the furniture

We did not separate the private part of the house from the living area with a single door. The route passes through a study and a walk-through wardrobe, naturally moving the bedroom away from the noise of the main living space. The bed is integrated directly into a large furniture wall. It forms the headboard, side cabinets and shelving, while also concealing the entrance. Instead of a freestanding bed surrounded by separate pieces of furniture, the whole room is organised as one composition. The bed itself faces the garden. Because when there is a garden outside the bedroom window, it would be a shame to wake up looking into a wardrobe.

Interior design does not start with choosing a sofa

At this villa interior, we were not furnishing a finished house. We changed the ground-floor layout, the connections between rooms, the staircase, glass partitions, lighting and built-in furniture. That is why it makes sense to start thinking about a house interior as early as possible. Many details that later appear to be a natural part of the space actually need to be decided while the house itself is still being designed.

We write more about this in When to start designing a house interior and Why a house design isn't enough.