The transformation of VII House, a historic building near Prague’s Waldstein Palace and gardens, is the stuff of fairy tales. When the client, real estate developer WP 7, contacted the architecture firm Formafatal, they referenced its potential and saw the vision of what the building could be—a “Cinderella” among the grand palaces, waiting for its new beginning.

And so, in the hands of design team Anna Linhartová and Michael Kohout, Project Cinderella came to be. Though the name was pulled from a storybook, the inspiration for the restoration came from the charm and history of the building itself.

Turning a six-storey protected heritage building into 17 luxury apartments was no simple task. The plans varied from single-room apartments to those that would occupy an entire floor. Eventually, both designers and developers agreed to a blueprint that would allow for three apartments per floor.

In addition to settling on the appropriate layouts, the Formafatal team was tasked with working with some of the original features, such as 200-year-old beams, while finding solutions for modern living. The ceilings in each unit needed to be dropped to accommodate new wiring for today’s technology, so Linhartová and Kohout came up with a textured gypsum structure that adds architectural detail. Their sensitive attention to detail also extended to modern doors with concealed sandstone frames that extend from floor to ceiling. The team’s overarching goal was for the newly built structures to blend with the building while remaining visually distinct.

To ensure that the apartment’s interiors captured Prague’s unique flair, the design team enlisted local artisans. Pavel Baxa created “ice glass” installations in the hallways, and Ateliér Originál Hořánek contributed both lighting and custom brass elements. Particular attention was paid to the central staircase, with its stucco walls, curved wooden handrail, and integrated lighting that resembles celestial bodies. Such details were intended to introduce an astral or even alchemical atmosphere to the house, according to Formafatal.

Now that the building’s been given new life and filled with next-generation occupants, it seems this Cinderella story has an ending as happy as the fairy tale.

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