Cibulka Turns Contrast Into Comfort in a Prague Apartment Renovation
Cibulka is a moody, light-filled apartment in Prague, Czech Republic, crafted by SMLXL. The project rethinks atmosphere rather than plan, pivoting around a dark, connective element that organizes daily life. Completed in 2025, it leans into height, daylight, and a precise palette to bring clarity to living, working, and resting.
Morning pours across pale oak boards and climbs the concrete beams. Against that brightness, a deep black band threads from entry to bedroom and holds the rooms in line.
This is an apartment in Prague by SMLXL, tuned not by new walls but by a sharper atmosphere. The throughline is material and hue: a black “box” that gathers circulation, storage, and work zones while leaving volume and light intact.
Trace the Black
From the threshold, the dark element pulls you inward, wrapping stair treads, cabinetry, and doors with a single intent. Oil-finished oak on the mezzanine and stair creates continuity, so movement reads as one gesture rather than a series of parts.
Edges and Angles
Slanted lines cut through the quiet: the skewed dining table, a canted plaster plane behind the kitchen, and a diagonal run in the stair balustrade. Those tilts give rhythm to tall walls and temper the loft’s orthogonal frame, which is marked by concrete beams and a gridded glass partition.
Metal, Light, Texture
Chemically treated sheet metal adds a soft patina, landing as splashback, headboard accent, and bathroom surround with a circular mirror haloed by light. Perforated mesh works hard too—guarding the mezzanine, veiling storage, and filtering daylight without dulling the view (a subtle industrial note without noise).
Living High and Low
The living area sets a low, generous sofa beneath the tall grid, keeping sightlines open to a hanging chair at the window. Overhead, the mezzanine becomes library and desk, where dark-stained boards, open shelving, and a lean work counter support focused hours.
Private Rooms, Calmer Mood
In the bedroom, the black spine slips behind wardrobe, stair, and a metal headboard that folds into the corner. The bed rests under a delicate pendant, and daylight from a large window washes the crisp palette so the room reads composed rather than severe.
Back in the bath, matte black fittings sit against textured surfaces and pale floor tile, a quiet contrast that flatters the light. The apartment holds steady—dark where it guides, bright where life unfolds.
Photography by Petr Kopal
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