Where Mařatka sculpted Masaryk
We did not inherit this house in good condition. Quite the opposite.
The former sculpture studio of Josef Mařatka in Prague’s Letná district was on the verge ofdisappearing altogether. Yet this was the very place where the sculptor created his bust of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk between 1918 and 1919. The first president of Czechoslovakia visited the studio in person, sitting beneath the large rooflight designed to bring as much northern light into the space as possible. This project is the renovation of a historic sculptor’s studio, transformed into a family home while preserving its original volume, light, and atmosphere. History alone is never a reason to save a building. The real value was the space itself – its generous height, the daylight falling from above, and a character that had survived more than a century. Our ambition was not to recreate the past, but to build on it in a way that makes sense today.
Don't Demolish. Add.
The original studio consisted of a single double-height room with a small service area along one side. That principle remains intact after the renovation. A new upper volume was inserted into the original space while keeping the historic studio clearly legible. Part of the new structure is embedded within the original volume, while another part rises above the existing roofline. We made no attempt to disguise what is new, nor to make it look old. Each part of the house belongs to a different era, and each openly acknowledges it. The building was in such poor condition that most of its structure had to be rebuilt. Even so, we retained its original proportions, the character of the façades, the iconic studio rooflight, and the rhythm of the window openings. Where necessary, we created precise replicas. Where something new was required, we made no effort to hide it. The result is not a restoration that pretends the last hundred years never happened. It is a renovation that keeps history visible while allowing the building to move forward.
Light Takes the Lead
The original studio remains the heart of the house. Today it serves as the living room, but its character has not changed. The large rooflight remains exactly where it has always been, continuing to define the atmosphere of the space. The same light that once illuminated Josef Mařatka as he sculpted Masaryk’s likeness now accompanies the everyday life of a new family. Light enters from above rather than from the sides, constantly changing throughout the day and giving the interior a different mood from one hour to the next. For that reason, we intervened as little as possible. The living area takes full advantage of the original height of the studio, allowing the space itself to become the main feature. That quality alone was worth saving.
A house inside a studio
The bedrooms, study, and children's room are all contained within the new volume inserted into the historic studio.This is not a conventional upper floor placed on top of an existing house. The new structure cuts into the original space in some places and pulls away from it in others. The resulting gaps create unexpected views, changing levels, and moments where the original building remains a constant presence in everyday life. The bedroom is deliberately simple, focusing attention on light and proportion. The children's room, by contrast, opens toward the courtyard garden through a large glazed façade. Each room responds differently to its surroundings, yet all stem from the same idea: to place a contemporary home inside a historic studio without allowing either to overpower the other.
A bathroom with a roof garden
One of the most unexpected spaces in the house emerged from the way the new volume steps back from the original building.The upper bathroom opens onto a small roof garden tucked between the old and the new. Daylight floods the room while privacy is maintained naturally by the geometry of the house itself. No screens, fences, or complicated solutions were required. Materially, the bathrooms are intentionally restrained. White plaster finishes, cast marble, and stainless-steel details provide a calm backdrop for everyday life. As with the rest of the project, we resisted the temptation to add unnecessary effects. The strength of this renovation lies not in decoration, but in the quality of a space that existed long before we arrived.
A studio is not a museum
Sculptors leave beautiful things behind. Buildings are usually not among them. After Josef Mařatka, the studio was taken over by sculptor Karel Klimeš, whose work can still be seen on Prague’s Barrandov Bridge. For decades, the space was used for sculpting, modelling, and casting. Maintaining the building itself was rarely a priority. Moisture does not bother sculptors. In fact, clay benefits from it. By the time we began the renovation, most of the structure had reached the end of its life. The roof leaked, the masonry was saturated with moisture, and far less of the original building survived than we had expected at the outset. Some elements were preserved more through determination than technical logic. Even so, we were never trying to save every brick. What mattered was the space, the light, and the character of the studio itself. Those were the qualities worth preserving. Those were the reasons to begin again. Some of the bricks salvaged from the original building found their way into our BOX barn conversion. The material itself was given another chapter.
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Radka - 16. 6. 2026