men's lair

men's lair is a 36 m2 apartment in Prague, completed in 2016, reworked by boq architekti for a young man whose work brings an irregular routine and a lot of travel. The flat had recently been reconfigured by the developer into two walk-through rooms, so rather than break down the partition wall the studio worked with the existing layout and made the most of its modest footprint.

A kitchen islet anchors the first room and does the heavy lifting: cooking, dining and gathering with friends all happen around it, with seating on raised bar chairs. The islet is arranged so the owner faces the room and the window while cooking, never turning his back on guests.

The second room combines living and sleeping. Because the owner's hours rarely follow day and night, the space can be divided by sliding panels, separating the bed from the living area so one zone can rest while the other stays in use, with minimal disruption to a partner's routine. The dividing wall is a single sheet of glazing, so morning sun can reach the bed when wanted, and dark blinds handle the windows when it is not. A wardrobe sits in the sleeping area, with storage for bedding tucked behind the bed. A simple desk with a low drawer rests on a cabinet by the window. The living area stays pared back, a grey sofa and a coffee table, and a back-projection screen set into the partition can be watched from either the living room or the bed.

Architecture and interiors by Jana Stachova and Miroslav Stach of boq architekti. Photography by Tomas Dittrich.