The single storey reception lobby, one of the few major architectural interventions, is carefully integrated into the heart of the buildings to provide a hub from which all other parts of the hotel radiate and a lounge that is a comfortable, intimate retreat accessed through a restored courtyard.

The entrance doors are in patinated brass, a material typical of ironwork in Prague, the walls are mainly in a simple lime-based paint finish and the reception desk combines a woven leather front with a pale limestone top. The grey limestone flooring of the entrance carries on into all the public areas and leads the eye to serenely lit monastic corridors reaching out from the lobby. A stunning elliptical shade in glass and steel catches the sunlight through the glazed roof, sending a spectrum of dancing reflections around the space below. Deep red and black leather sofas and chairs specially designed for The Augustine in the style of Czech furniture pioneer, Jindrich Halabala, and imposing dark oak doors contrast warmly with the structure’s neutral palette.

Tom’s Bar, named after the monastery’s patron saint, St. Thomas, is located in a barrel-vaulted double height hall that provides both inspiration and constraint. The intention was to create a cocktail bar that embraced the building’s ecclesiastical origins yet sustained elegance appealing to an international clientele.

The design solution revolved around two principles. Stylistically, the design was “simple”, harmoniously slipping into the historic room and allowing the restored envelope to remain the “wow” factor. To resolve service issues, a freestanding bar with an over-sized display panel obscures A/C units and a service lift while providing a chic counterpoint to the monastic forms throughout the space. The opaque glass of the back bar panel is internally lit and set into a patinated brass frame. Ceiling frescoes were restored by local craftsmen using traditional lime-based paint to replicate the original colour palette, while a new oak floor was laid in the traditional Baroque style.

Culled from the structural foundations in the 17th Century, The Brewery Bar is nestled into the atmospheric cellar of the former St. Thomas brewery, where the monks once fermented their namesake beer. Soft wall and ceiling luminaires cast shadows on the cobbled arches and original stalactites and stalagmites and highlight the caramel and sage crystal bands in the glistening onyx bartop. The strong masculine style of Czech Cubism is complemented by the furniture’s rich timber tones and the rustic style terracotta floor tiles. The dining chairs replicate a design by Czech Cubist Vlastislav Hofman.

For the Monastery Restaurant, the designers were charged with the conceptual planning, spatial layout and interior design of a double height extension to accommodate 100 all-day and fine dining covers. The structure’s orientation was a challenge, given the awkward courtyard space into which the restaurant was to be built, as well as the surrounding building heights and three large, protected trees. The result is a modern restaurant that respects the buildings around it and embraces Czech crafts through exceptional glasswork, patinated brass and finely turned ironmongery. The restaurant has been built around two of the trees; the restored courtyard, with its al fresco dining, accommodates the third.

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