Maximilian Hotel, Prague

Maximilian, one of Prague’s most established boutique hotels, has reopened after a refurbishment programme by international design studio, Conran and Partners, commissioned by the hotel owners, Christian and Rudolf Ploberger.

The refurbishment covers 71 guest rooms, plus the reconfiguration of existing ground floor areas to create new public spaces including a café/bar, brasserie, library and event space with courtyard garden, alongside a full refurbishment of the bijou existing basement spa.

The Ploberger brothers – who also own the Hotel Josef in Prague – wanted to use the renovation as an opportunity to contrast Josef’s starker, iconic style with the softer, colourful, more playful style of Maximilian.

Previously, only a limited food and beverage offer existed in the front-of-house areas. Conran and Partners have added a café and bar at the main entrance, which animates the building’s façade and engages with the adjacent streetscape, including a small tree-lined paved area directly in front of the church opposite.

Conran and Partners’ design approach for the hotel reflects the cultural and architectural heritage of its urban context, referencing Czech modernism and the progressive art movement influenced by famous avant-garde artist and architectural writer, Karel Teige. Teige developed a version of the modernist principle that was based on much softer elements than many of his peers; his poetic modernism embraced elements such as texture and colour as well as more playful elements also represented in his many surreal collage works.

Conran and Partners wanted to retain a strong element of Teige’s poetic modernism while creating a sense of place rooted in the city and the neighbourhood. This involved drawing upon the iconic pastel colour palette of Prague’s architecture and local crafts – including weaving and glass-making – for the materiality of the design.

Bold use of colour is the defining element of the design approach. Each area of the hotel is highlighted in a different pastel tone, referencing the colourful architecture of Prague’s inner city. This ranges from light green tones on entry, to pinks in the historic stairwells and a deep blue for the guest rooms. Overlaid on this are elements of local craft, made bespoke for the hotel, and a carefully curated selection of contemporary and classic furniture pieces in similar soft and colourful shades.

Bespoke lighting elements designed by Conran and Partners, and made by Czech manufacturer Sans Souci, feature throughout the public areas and a contemporary chandelier crafted from handmade Czech glass was created for the living room and library spaces. The popular basement spa has been optimised and refreshed throughout using gentle pastel paint colours, bespoke artwork murals by local design company Lavmi and warm ambient lighting to promote relaxation. Artwork plays a key part in the design, based on pieces the owners had already, combined with prints of iconic Teige collages and contemporary works inspired by his playful, surreal and intriguing works. The Teige pieces were sourced through the Czech archives with the new pieces curated with Dais Contemporary in London.

Conran and Partners’ design approach for the rooms has sought to optimise the spaces across various guest room layouts, which include quirky rooms with curved ceilings within the roof space, and give them a contemporary yet warm and residential feel.

Design: Conran and Partners
Photography: Matthias Aschauer