Vlastina Svátková in her living room. Photo: Zdeněk Macháček.
Last year, you renovated a family home and turned it into a home for yourself and your family. You did all of this without the help of architects or designers. What led you to make this decision?
When I bought it, I knew it would need to be expanded. Since I had no experience with construction or renovations, my expectations were unrealistic—even naive. I thought a construction company would be able to convert the garage into a living room even without an architect. It turned out that’s not how it works. The contractors kept coming to me with various questions I didn’t know how to answer. So I had to find an architect on the fly to draw up the renovation plans. As for the interior design, it never even occurred to me to hire someone. I really enjoy interior design, so I wanted to dive into it myself. Plus, I’m the type of person who learns best through my own experiences and mistakes. No matter what a designer told me, I’d have to verify it myself anyway. So in my free time, I’d pore over photos of designer interiors and refine my vision of what mine would look like. Whenever something caught my eye, I’d immediately start checking to see if it was available in the Czech Republic. If not, I looked for other options. And whenever I was told it wasn’t possible, I found ten ways to make it work.
Have you always enjoyed interior design, or did your passion for it start with the need to furnish a new home?
Everything within us takes shape and develops from childhood, without us having any idea where we’ll end up. We’re drawn to certain things; something pulls us in a certain direction, and we don’t know why. As a child, for example, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I learned to sew from Burda magazine, which my mom used to buy, and I made my own clothes that way. After school, I’d go to the library and borrow issues of ELLE. The world of fashion absolutely fascinated me even back in elementary school. Ten years later, I was already working at ELLE, and that bubble suddenly burst. And that’s how it is with everything. Until we get to the heart of what fascinates us, it seems like a wonderful illusion. Real-life experience then reveals just how distorted that illusion was. Among my other, slightly unusual childhood hobbies was shopping at thrift stores. My treasure hunt then seamlessly shifted from thrift stores to searching for treasures at flea markets, secondhand shops, and auctions. That, in fact, has stayed with me to this day. Even though I could afford to buy expensive clothes and furniture, I prefer to hunt for finds in vintage shops and at auctions. I love it when I manage to stumble upon, say, a luxury cashmere sweater for a fraction of its original price. It’s part of my creative personality, which can combine the seemingly incompatible.
Vlastina Svátková’s living room is full of original and stylish pieces. Photo: Zdeněk Macháček.
Where did you go for inspiration?
Life itself is my inspiration—everything unexpected and unpredictable that it brings. Every day I experience something new that breaks the mold. And that suits me just fine. I don’t care for routine, even though part of my personality deeply craves certainty and security. I’m inspired by the world beyond my home and by people on the street.
Most of all, those who aren’t afraid to take risks and go their own way. I’ve also discovered that I have a sort of sixth sense for buying things that, a few years later, become timeless and whose value rises significantly. In a discount furniture store, for example, I might come across a small table that’s selling for just a few crowns simply because it’s different from the others and nobody wants it. I’ll buy it because I’m inexplicably drawn to it, and a year later I’ll find out it’s a work of art by Willy Daro and sells at auctions for 100,000 crowns!
What’s your favorite piece of furniture or home decor item that you have at home?
I don’t think I can pick just one. I love our BRIK wardrobes, which reach all the way to the ceiling, and the “Hruška” vase by Moser. My favorite vintage piece is an armchair by designer Marco Zanuso, which I had reupholstered with a gorgeous fabric. I also love our bathroom tiles, which don’t show dirt—which is pretty essential given how busy I am. The Arco lamp by FLOS is also amazing; it’s moved with me several times, even though it’s extremely heavy thanks to its marble base. These are all things I have a special connection to. They stand up to my kids’ rough-and-tumble play and my constant desire to change things up.
The outdoor area of the house is a perfect oasis for relaxation, complete with a pool. Photo: Zdeněk Macháček.
Your house also includes a garden with a pool. Did you design that yourself, or did you hire a landscape architect?
I designed the garden myself, but fortunately I didn’t have to start from scratch. The lot already had beautiful, mature trees, which I think are a must in any garden. But there was also an unsightly blue round pool that had to go immediately. The idea for a new one to replace it, however, came just in the nick of time. That was the moment when the excavator could no longer access the garden. So, at the back of the property, we had to take down the fence and ask the neighbor if we could drive a truck loaded with concrete across his property. Fortunately, the neighbor agreed. I chose a natural pool, the larger part of which is for swimming, and the smaller rear section serves as a filter that incorporates plants. What’s amazing about this pool is that the water stays clean year-round, without the use of chemicals or salt. My main idea was to create not just a seasonal feature, but a year-round part of the garden that wouldn’t look out of place and would fit in perfectly. That’s actually how I approached the entire garden. I planted the garden so that something different would bloom in every season. You’ll find various grasses, lavender, a fig tree, catalpas, and a huge nigra, which is the first to bloom. And now, for example, I’ve come up with the idea of a fence made from my books, which I’ll have encased in resin and combined with stainless steel. I don’t think anyone else has a fence like that yet.
A timeless kitchen in light tones, accentuated by the timeless texture of marble. Photo: Zdeněk Macháček.
The interior of the house is complete. Do you plan to continue pursuing your passion for interior design in some way?
Absolutely! I’ve even received some offers already. But it’s important to me that the other party respects my vision of how the space should look. Of course, I could take a safe route that doesn’t offend anyone—because that’s what everyone else does. But that doesn’t interest me. I see a space as a work of art in which I want to be creative. Every piece I incorporate into it must have meaning, function, and a story. At the very beginning, however, there’s a dialogue with the client, during which I need to understand their needs, their lifestyle, what they do at home—or, conversely, what they don’t want to do there. The resulting space can then become a sanctuary for their soul—a place they’ll love to return to and spend time in. I see the power of this approach when someone comes to my home for the first time. Most visitors walk in, stop, look around with interest, and examine individual objects. Even children, who normally don’t pay attention to such things, react this way. They run inside, stop, and say, “Wow, you have a beautiful house!”
Would you say you’ve managed to create your dream home?
Yes, definitely—it’s a sanctuary for my soul. I feel at ease here and love coming back. And my kids feel the same way. Of course, there are some things I’d do differently now. Not everything is practical; some things are completely unnecessary. But it’s precisely these experiences that I’ll draw on as I move forward in life, when I’m furnishing my next home, apartment, or cottage. It’s a passion that will probably never leave me—just like my desire to hunt for treasures and follow auctions. The problem arises, though, of what to do with the old stuff when I discover something I simply must have. Maybe one day I’ll have a showroom where I’ll bring all those beautiful new pieces and offer them to my clients. It’s definitely one of my biggest dreams.
Inside and outside Vlastina’s house, many decorations—including flowers—help create the atmosphere. Photo: Vlastina Svátková’s archive.
