Marina Nova Refines Industrial Calm in a Riverfront Prague Apartment
Marina Nova sits in Prague, Czech Republic, as a river-facing apartment by SMLXL with a measured industrial touch. The project uses a raw concrete ceiling, an open plan, and carefully chosen metals and stone to build rhythm without noise. In a district of historic industrial halls, the home threads a modern interior through light, air, and a restrained palette.
Morning light draws across the raw concrete ceiling and settles on steel. The river sits beyond the glass, a steady horizon that steadies the room.
This apartment in Prague’s Holešovice district is shaped by SMLXL around a simple brief: modern interiors with an industrial edge, handled with restraint. The throughline is material and palette—black veneer, stainless steel, travertine, and perforated metal—used to set cadence and clarity rather than spectacle.
Set the Rhythm
Materials carry the sequence. Black veneer grounds storage and millwork, while travertine cools the touch and tempers reflections from steel. Perforated sheet metal repeats as a measured beat, dividing zones without blocking light or airflow and casting soft, shifting shadows across floors and walls.
Anchor the Core
At the center, a stainless-steel island reads as two solid blocks bridged by a lower work module. The assembly feels minimal yet sure-footed, its planes catching daylight and evening glow with equal calm. Cooking, prep, and conversation pin to this piece, which holds the room without shouting.
Filter Light, Define Zones
Perforated metal screens thread from entry to wardrobe and study, keeping edges legible and air moving. Their semi-transparency builds privacy without enclosure, a quiet partition that aligns with the open plan. Slender steel tubes trace lines overhead and along corners, giving a subtle register to circulation and use.
Work and Rest
The study takes a bolder stance with a wall-wide wallpaper, a freestanding desk with perforated detailing, and shelving scaled to the industrial horizon outside. Wiring disappears, but structure and material stay visible—a frank expression that matches the district’s grain. In contrast, the bedroom leans toward ease: concrete above, an asymmetrical headboard, a dark niche of built-in wardrobes, and a simple ottoman hold the room to a low hum.
Finish the Line
The bathroom stays materially consistent, trimmed of distraction and tuned to the same palette. Surfaces carry one language, so the daily routine reads clean and unbroken. Nothing pushes forward without cause—every junction, edge, and pull respects the calm.
Evening returns the river as a soft band of light. Inside, metal, stone, and veneer do their work with restraint, and the view draws the final line.
Photography by Petr Kopal
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