Step Into The Dreamy W Prague Embodying Art Nouveau Charm

In picturesque Prague, with its centuries-spanning medley of architectural styles, there’s no shortage of distinctive hotels for the 8 million or so visitors who descend upon the Czech capital every year. But it’s fair to say that there is nothing like the W Prague, which celebrated its official unveiling in March, following a near decade-long refurbishment and restoration of its protected heritage building, a swaggering art nouveau gem on Wenceslas Square, in the heart of the city.

The richly ornamented facade, dating to 1905, the height of art-nouveau fever in Eastern Europe, has been spruced up—verdigris and gold on swirling ironwork balconies, candy-red on window mullions, fresh gilding on the sculpture that crowns the confectionlike pediment at the top. Grand Hotel Europa, the name the property was given in the ’50’s, remains. But just above, a modest but unmistakable golden W has been added, heralding a new era.

A Whimsical Welcome Into The W Prague

W Hotels and its parent company, Marriott International, were brought in to redevelop and manage the 19,380-square-foot property, which had changed hands a few times since the late ’80’s and been shuttered since 2013. The updates, including an elliptical, nine-story extension behind the seven-story hotel, involved multiple firms. London-headquartered firm Benoy oversaw the architecture for the new wing, based on concepts by Czech studio DAM.architekti. International outfit Chapman Taylor, which has an office in Prague, headed up restoration of the historical spaces, worked with Czech heritage authorities, oversaw the design rollout of the spa and standard guest rooms, and served as the project’s architect of record. While AvroKO, the U.S. firm with two international studios that has already put its mark on nearly a dozen Marriott properties, with more in the works, was enlisted to tie it all together, masterminding key public areas and the hotel’s premium suites, while collaborating with Chapman Taylor on light fixtures, tilework, and dining and bar spaces that combine old and new.

“When we were approached about this project and first saw pictures of the building, the noise heard throughout our studio was of jaws hitting the floor—it’s just so incredible,” AvroKO cofounding partner Adam Farmerie recalls. The creative challenge, he explains, was to layer in original contemporary elements that would speak to the historical parts in ways that feel authentic, steering clear of pastiche. “We knew trying to replicate actual art nouveau details would be a disaster,” he continues. “Instead, we had to find solutions that created a bridge to the past.”

How W Prague Mixes Czech History With Modernity

The AvroKO team, led by its London office and the design director there, senior associate and architect Alex Reed, came up with three main pillars of inspiration to build a visual narrative, beginning with the organic foliate and floral forms associated with art nouveau, notably the work of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Expanding upon that movement’s connections not only to nature but also to symbolism and mysticism, they developed a concept they referred to as “the fantastical garden,” Reed says, “very whimsical, sort of magical, a place of escapism.”

A third pillar was elixirs and alchemy, which enjoyed a heyday in 16th-century Prague. “Tying in these ideas about substances that could transform base metals into gold or were medicinal potions believed to cure all ills and give eternal life felt very apt,” Reed explains. Manifestations of these visual influences are woven throughout the 161-room hotel, not least in the atmospheric lobby, where the sumptuous art-nouveau lighting, plasterwork, and mosaic flooring have been meticulously restored. For guest check-in, AvroKO conceived shimmering brass desks that stand before an arched niche inset with colorful square tiles made by Preciosa, the venerable Czech glass company. Their radiant gold and jewellike tones establish the palette that is carried throughout.

Radiant Tones Establish The Palette Inside This Hotel

The same Czech company also crafted the majestic pendant fixtures that hang in the atrium and the grand staircase. The latter is a shower of variously shaped crystals that cascade down in between the graceful ironwork balustrades in a “modern meets heritage moment,” as Reed puts it, “where you feel the exciting vibe of the hotel but cut with Czech history.”

More such moments can be found across the project, whether in the Bisou lounge, a lavishly paneled belle epoque room where guests can enjoy a glass of champagne seated on shapely custom sofas, while perching their flutes on faceted mirror cocktail tables that nod to Czech Cubism. Or downstairs on the clubby Minus One level, Occulto, a former beer hall with exquisite art-nouveau paneling, tilework, stained-glass, and hand-painted murals, has been updated with a bar in polished stainless steel inspired by a vintage cigar box. “With such a robust heritage backdrop, bringing in this kind of modernity just punches away from it as a contrast,” Reed says.

AvroKO Injects Garden Flourishes Into The W Prague

For the transition from the historic building to the new one, AvroKO leaned into the fantastical garden theme, concocting a dramatic emerald and gold corridor draped in velvet curtains embroidered with grasses, flowers, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Floral pendants add to the effect, one that Farmerie describes as “feeling like you are walking through a dream.”

Emerging into the new building, the vibe shifts in the W lounge, an all-day space featuring different types of seating in a variety of configurations for everything from brunch to business meetings to cocktails with live DJs. While there are allusions to art nouveau, the aesthetic also flashes mid-century chic—poured terrazzo flooring, groovy fireplaces, curvy Vladimir Kagan–like sofas, columns that disappear into circular lighting coves à la Morris Lapidus. Anchoring it all is a showstopping 30-foot-long serpentine bar, behind which a sculptural bottle display playfully evokes the top of an eye. “There are unexpected moments as you walk through,” says Reed, who notes that in warmer weather, the fun spills outside into the garden, where a live green wall is inset with a cozy seating nook.

W Prague Amps Up The Glamour

When it came to designing the guest rooms, AvroKO focused exclusively on 14 suites, most of which are in the new extension, highlighted by the E-Wow suite. Described as W’s “modern interpretation of a presidential suite,” the 1,000-square-foot, eighth-floor room amps up the glamour with richly veined stone countertops and expansive rooftop views. As with all the suites in the addition, the rounded form made for “an interesting variety of room shapes,” Reed notes. AvroKO embraced the quirkiness with lots of mirror, gleaming metallics, and sculptural furnishings that add to the visual dynamism.

At the top of the original building, two loftlike Wow Bohemia duplexes take a similar approach, only here the palette is deep reds and golds, while sumptuous furnishings compellingly contrast with exposed timber beams, a reminder of the hotel’s distinguished history. Says Farmerie, “We were chuffed to have the opportunity to breathe new life into it.”

Stay A Night At The W Prague By AvroKO

Art Nouveau Touches Elevate The W Prague To The Next Level

AVROKO: KRISTINA O’NEAL; GREG BRADSHAW; WILLIAM HARRIS; ED ROJAS; ZHENG XU. CHAPMAN TAYLOR: ARCHITECT OF RECORD. RTLD: LIGHTING DESIGNER. ATELIÉR; DMM; STILLES: CUSTOM FURNITURE WORKSHOPS. EXX: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

FROM FRONT
ADAM ELLIS STUDIO: CUSTOM CURTAINS (HALL). MAORA CERAMICS: TILE. POLSTRIN DESIGN: CUSTOM SEATING (ATRIUM LOUNGE). POTS: PLANTERS. PORCELANOSA: CUSTOM BAR FACE (W LOUNGE). D3LAB: CUSTOM BARBACK. EXX: CUSTOM COLUMN HEADS. WOKA LAMPS VIENNA: BAR LAMPS (POPPY). GREEN4LIFE: GREEN WALL (GARDEN). APPIANI; BALINEUM; SENIO: MOTTLED TILE (MINUS ONE). THROUGHOUT PRECIOSA: CUSTOM LIGHT FIXTURES, CUSTOM TILEWORK. AXPRO CONCEPT: CUSTOM CARPET, CUSTOM RUGS. CHELSEA TEXTILES: SEATING FABRIC.