ESSENCE Field Guide: European Design Cities uncovered DESIGN CITY PRAGUE
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The Czech glass pioneer translates tradition into contemporary sculpture. "Splash" by Martin Gallo looks like a moment frozen in time: movement turned to crystal. Soft light, uncluttered spaces: the showroom is a stage, not a shop. A fixture of Designblok and a laboratory of material honesty.
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Hand-blown glass between nostalgia and rigour: clean contours, milky surfaces, restrained colours. Each object seems to hold light and time. A studio that shows how material takes on character.
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Martin Janecký shapes glass from the inside out, a technique known as inside bubble sculpting. His sculptures are physical, almost anatomical: heat, hand and material in dialogue. Step into the studio and you understand: glass is not an object. It is a gesture.
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B | HOSPITALITY CIRCLE: SPACES THAT TRANSLATE A POINT OF VIEW
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7 | Andaz Prague Cosmopolitan, yet quiet. Warm tones, textured fabrics, soft light: luxury without ego. A hotel that focuses energy rather than amplifying it.
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8 | Almanac X Prague Natural stone, brass, dark wood, all precisely placed. No theatrical gestures, just stillness in the details. A place that absorbs the intensity of the city and softens it.
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A space that carries you through the day. Vertical ceramic tiles catch the light and give it back softly as the day moves on. An earthy palette, pared-back lighting: atmosphere rather than effect. Architecture as a quiet metronome for everyday routines.
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The dining room as a theatre without a stage. Exposed concrete, raw wood-cement panels, precise furniture: the materials carry the narrative. A restaurant that doesn't stage, but tells a story.
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GRAN FIERRO by Formafatal: fire as metaphor. Raw steel, concrete and wire tell a story of transformation. Pieces of coal framed in exposed concrete become symbols of a new responsibility: resource rather than residue. Architecture as the mirror of an ethical fire that keeps on burning.
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