A little bit of Prague

Wednesday interview: Studio Autori

Studio "Autori"is made up of 4 architects: Aleksandra Nikitin, Maja Trbović, Dijana Novaković, Dušan Nenadović. They are the brains behind the beautiful Houses A & B in Mokrin, for which they won numerous domestic awards, and a nomination for the Mies Van der Rohe award 2013. Here's what they had to say:

Have you always wanted to become an architect?

Not really. If everything had gone as planned, studio AUTORI would have been formed by a policeman, a news presenter, a nurse and a dentist. 

Which project has given you the most satisfaction?

House B, definitely, because it is our very first project, but also a very special piece of furniture that we designed for House B. It is a bench made from wooden beams that were a part of the roof construction of the demolished house from 1878. They are all that remains of the earlier house, salvaged to continue living in a reinterpreted way.

What types of books are on your bedside table?

At the moment, Atlas of steel structures is a must :)

What is the best moment of the day?

When working - lunch time in our office.

What would be your dream project?

Well, honestly, house on the seaside.

In a way it is simple, but in a conceptual way we find it to be the most beautiful and challenging task for an architect.

Cat or dog?

„Everybody wants to be a cat,

because a cat's the only cat
who knows where it's at.”

Who is your hero at the moment?

Our hero, in this case, is not only one person. 

Japanese architectural practice, theory, design principles and methods are the architectural approach that we admire. So, our heros, at the moment, are japanese architects - Junya Ishigami, Sou Fujimoto, SANAA, Toyo Ito,..

If you were a character from Star Wars, which one would you be?

R2-D2! An astromech droid and undoubtedly the most famous unit of the R2 series.

If you could do any other job what would you choose and why?

Actually we wouldn’t change our current job. Architectural practice gives you an opportunity to express yourself in various fields (urban planning, building and interior design, furniture design, theory,.. ) 

We have our own studio and we design things we like, so, you could say this is our dream job.

Where could we find you on Friday night?

There are four of us, so it’s a tricky one. Out and about.. but we do love KC Grad.

Pepsi or Coke?

We like Coke. 

How would you define your personal work-life balance in terms of ratio (50/50 70/30 etc)?
Trying to achieve 50/50, but somehow it always turns to be - 100/0 :)

What brings you joy? 

Work – life balance 50/50 ;)

No seriously, watching our little construction site all grown up! ;)

Thanks for the witty answers!
To check out more from studio AUTORI visit their facebook page and web site!

Wednesday interview: Stefan Gavrilo

Stefan Jovicic aka Stefan Gavrilo is young architect from Serbia. He finished his studies in Ljubljana, Slovenia and he is currently working in Paris. Here is his answers for our blog:

Have you always wanted to become an artist/architect?

My father wanted, but thank you Pa :) 

As a matter a fact yes, I always knew its gonna do something with a paper and pencil.

Which project has given you the most satisfaction?

Recent project that I made in Helsinki with few colleagues during EASA (European Architecture Student Assembly). We made a tree-house. 

What types of books are on your bedside table?

All types of books. Philosophy, psychoanalysis, fiction.. .

Nietzsche, Crnjanski, Dr. Seuss, Dostojevski, Murakami, Thomas Mann, George Orwell, Dejan Tiago Stankovic, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Rem Koolhaas etc.

(If you go home with someone and they don't have books, don't f*** them) (: 

What is the best moment of the day?

So many great moments in one day.. .

Who is your design hero at the moment?

Louis Kahn

Cat or dog?

Dog

What would be your dream project?

Right now, I am working on my dream project. Installation for Burning man festival in Nevada desert (USA) during August 2013.

As I understand, you are currently in Paris, working in fashion world. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

I used to work as an architect surrounded with a fashion world. It was a part of my student practice and bigger part of my work experience. I was working as an assistant art director, designing scenography/set-up for fashion houses during Paris and New York fashion week.

Where could we find you on Friday night?

Who knows. Never at the same place or city, country.. .

If you could do any other job what would you choose and why?

Astronaut. I would fly out of space.

Pepsi or Coke?

Orange juice in a 1l glass Coke bottle.

If you were a character from Star Wars, which one would you be?

None

How would you define your personal work-life balance in terms of ratio (50/50 70/30 etc)?

It changes every week. Spring 2013 will be 70/30.

What brings you joy?

Partner, New York, music.. .

Thank you Stefan for your time, good luck with your future projects :)
For more info and beautiful photographs, please visit Stefan's online presentation

Interior inspiration: plants

Architecture and plants: This is the work of Suppose Design Studio. I love how they manage to make the green's a part of the architecture it self! They bring the garden inside, but in a way that doesn't seem messy and overcrowded, and that's what sets it apart.

Clock wise from top left: 1.home no.1 2. home no.2 3. store

Interior and plants: Plants brings joy, happiness, color, and complitness to an interior.

clock wise from top left: 1.lot's and lot's of plants 2.classy and casual 3.plants in every corner 4. house of plants 5.color 6. color no.2

Plants and their pots: It makes a whole lot of a difference what a pot looks like for a complete impression! I actually think that matching a plant and a pot is an art of its own. The examples above are more whimsical solutions I found, but it just goes to prove my point.They look great.

Clock wise from top left: 1.flip it 2.concrete pot 3.earth tones 4.glass pot 5.plastic 6. cork