M o s a i c H o u s e In the Mix Prague’s new Mosaic House uses its lean, green design to target both the hostel crowd and young travelers seeking a four-star spend. By JennA GlATzer Guest rooms at the Mosaic House feature sheer fabrics and window treatments that look like strings of decorative threads. W hen architect Tereza Koucká from Tek Tek first looked at the boxy building she was hired to redesign, she loved it—but worried that what the clients wanted might be impossible. The Bohemian Hostels group’s aim was to turn a 1930s functionalist building in Prague into a low-energy, eco-friendly hotel/hostel hybrid. An upscale one. On a very small design budget. Mosaic House—named before the building was bought—was conceptualized as a place where travelers from varying socioeconomic backgrounds could meet and talk in affordable four-star accommodations. The bottom floor would be bunk-bed-style shared lodging (including one dorm just for women), the top floor would be private rooms with spectacular terrace views and the remaining four floors would be mixed (some rooms private, some shared). But the overarching theme would be to encourage social interaction. How would she make a building from the ’30s eco-friendly and people-friendly? The project took three years, and it had its share of ups and downs. Koucká’s biggest nightmare came in the form of unreliable general suppliers, who she says were “missing respect” for the project and didn’t uphold their own terms. Among other things, they delivered different materials from what she signed off on, and they changed parts of her design without permission. She also found herself mired in a world- Tereza Koucká 36 Boutique Design | September+October 2010