CGD

We can sum up the work of Formafatal in one phrase – “no compromises”. Their projects are always discernible by their unique color scheme, cozy feel, originality and meticulous attention to detail. Architect Dagmar Štěpánová established the studio in 2015, and she has since been developing an international reputation. After ten years in the business, this young studio has become quite established and we will be hearing more about them in the years to come. We can take the interior of the Gran Fierro restaurant, Moon Club, Autentista Wine Bar, and a number of private residences as examples of their great works that have even been acclaimed by the Dezeen and Architizer platforms. Their international reputation also has to do with Štěpánová’s relocation to Costa Rica where she has been living and working since 2020. She manages the local projects, while the Prague studio works under the directorship of Katarína Varsová and Jan Roučka.

And Costa Rica in fact plays a central role in Štěpánová’s success, as it is the place where she designed the groundbreaking Art Villas and Achioté – two exclusive villas constructed in the wild jungle. Last year, she also added her own house to the portfolio, and the jury of the Czech Grand Design Awards considers this a sort of culmination of her original approach to architecture and interior design. She manages to connect the interior with its immediate surroundings in striking ways, always pays careful attention to the arrangement of the space, and uses the minimum number of walls along with custom features made of concrete, metal and textile. She also projects local character as well as her Czech origins into the furnishings, keeping to her sophisticated use of colors, materials and textures (i.e. walls of tamped clay, colored concrete screed, etc.). Her interiors connect original pieces by Josef Archer Jr., Lukáš Musil or Geometr studio with iconic features such as the Wishbone Chair by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn or the Togo Armchair by Michel Ducaroye for Ligne Roset. In this way, she builds on her experience and creates a living scene full of impulses that draws on the surroundings of the ever-changing jungle.

Eva Slunečková