SOFFA
design
food
people
M
travel
MINI ISSUE | 07
life
ORDER AN
PRINTED
Dedicated
1
SOFFA 09 IS PRINTED! DO YOU LIKE THE ONLINE VERSION OF SOFFA? NOW, YOU CAN HAVE THE VOLUME IN PAPER AS WELL. BUY IT IN OUR NEW SHOP BY SOFFA: SHOP.SOFFAMAG.COM
Print:
Pages: Size: Origin: Language: Edition:
offset-printed and perfect bound, full colour on high-quality 140 gsm paper 160 A4 Prague, Czech Republic English 1000 copies
shop.soffamag.com
ND ENJOY!
D SOFFA
d to Travel
12 €
HOW TO U S E O U R M AG A ZI N E Follow us:
back to the list of contents
S
► move (back to the start of the article)
n
interesting links online shop links
u 1 5
downloads further content (gallery etc.) video links
m f i x & l
our web pages our e-mail Facebook Instagram YouTube Pinterest Twitter
© Copyright SOFFA magazine | All rights reserved. www.soffamag.com | info@soffamag.com cover photo: Lina Németh
CONTENT - MINI ISSUE | 07
►
05 EDITORIAL
08
01 | GARDEN Oasis of flowers and animals
26
02 | LIVING ORA: Town house Unger
4
HO M E I S H O M E! text: Adéla Kudrnová
Summer is in full swing and we travel to various possible parts of the world. Nevertheless, we realised how happily we return home – and by home we do not mean just our apartments and houses but mainly the people we spent our time with. Do you feel the same?
►
n
Adéla, the photographer just got back from California, Lenka, the designer, just got back from the Alpes, photographer Lina just came from Frankfurt, where she lives now, to Prague. Editor in chief Adéla and sales manager Terézia took their turns on the sunny island of Naxos. Production manager Antonín travelled through the Southern Bohemia with his little son. We had a break from work and then we went to canoe down the river Otava! You will find our video from this adventurous quest in the next issue of SOFFA 10, which will be published at the start of August. You say you have not got our third printed issue – SOFFA 09 yet? You can order it at shop.soffamag.com or buy it in shops (www.soffamag.com/ stockist). An issue dedicated to holiday travelling is a must this summer! Surely, you should not miss the photography from a beautiful town house Unger in Znojmo, inhabited and reconstructed by young architects from ORA. In this mini issue you can enjoy the continuation of this photo story. Do you long for a beautiful garden of your own – filled with flowers – a place where you could spend your entire summer? Come with us and pay a virtual visit to the garden of Lukáš and Bert from Květinové lahůdkářství. We can guarantee you will fall in love. We wish you a beautiful summer filled with adventurous journeys and sun!
Your SOFFA team
5
VISIT OU R N E W
SHOP BY SOFFA
At SHOP.SOFFAMAG.COM you will find SOFFA magazines and posters and many other original products!
shop.soffamag.com
01
G A R DEN Květinové lahůdkářství (Flower Deli)
n
OASIS O F F LOW ER S A N D A N I M A L S text: Adéla Kudrnová | styling: Květinové lahůdkářství | photo: Lina Németh
YOU SAY YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HEAVEN ON EARTH? WELL, LET US SHOW YOU. LUKÁŠ AND ALBERT’S GARDEN IS IDEAL FOR PLANTS, ANIMALS AND EVEN FOR HUMAN VISITORS. BEING FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH KVĚTINOVÉ LAHŮDKÁŘSTVÍ ON A REGULAR BASIS, WE HAVE MANAGED TO SEE THE GARDEN IN EVERY SEASON. WE CHOSE TO PRESENT IT TO YOU IN JULY – POSSIBLY AT ITS VERY BEST. ENJOY! Maybe you already heard about them in connection with SOFFA or otherwise. Their bouquets are stunning and always tell a story... they grow flowers based on the principles of ecological agriculture and without any chemical products and artificial manure... they collect English and antique roses... they can make a unique seasonal bouquet... yes, we are talking about Lukáš Paderta and Albert Friess: the owners of Květinové lahůdkářství (Flower Deli) in the Křivoklátsko region of the Czech Republic. Both landscape architects decided to surround their old village house with a garden and plant hundreds of species of flowering plants in it – thanks to that they are able to provide an alternative to imported cut flowers. In spring the garden resembles a sea of daffodils; then all kinds of tulips pop up; in June roses start blooming (English and antique), which Albert and ► LEFT: Wherever Lukáš and Albert may be in the garden, they are constantly being followed by their three loyal dogs: Hynek, Hedvika and Picasso. Their three Indian Runner ducks – Humbert, Dolores (Lolita) and Charlotte – are always tagging along, too. NEXT PAGE: In the centre of the garden there is an old bathtub and a classic pump painted red. In any season, it contrasts perfectly with the other aspects of the garden.
10
Lukáš collect with a passion. When autumn comes, the garden dresses into the colours of asters and other flowers. When Lukáš and Albert make their bouquets and arrangements, they complement the actual flowers with fruits and plants from the local forests and meadows in Křivoklátsko. On one summer afternoon we discussed with Lukáš and Bert the importance of a fragrant bouquet, their passion for antique roses and their love of animals: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO ESTABLISH KVĚTINOVÉ LAHŮDKÁŘSTVÍ? There were a number of factors. We are obsessed with gardening and flowers and the idea of spontaneously growing flowerbeds was so inviting. Furthermore, to use the words of Maxim Velčovský, we wanted to “fight for better consumption” in a field we understand and enjoy – that is growing and arranging flowers. We also wanted to give people the opportunity to order a bouquet made exclusively of locally grown flowers with the added value of non-traditional design. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT AND HOW LONG HAS IT EXISTED? The concept of eco-florists using locally grown cut flowers has existed for many years in England and the USA and surely in other countries, too. ► FOUR PHOTOS: Top left: Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) Top right: Blue Cap (Eryngium planum) Bottom left: flower and fruit of Bulgarian Honey Garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum ssp. Bulgaricum); in the rear: Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma ‘Garneview Scarlet‘) Bottom right: Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) NEXT PAGE: An old barn is located at the back of the garden: it is enshrouded in horror stories. Nowadays, it houses a number of treasures. The barn is surrounded by perennials.
13
Together with Efemér, our friends from Brno, we adapted the concept to the Czech environment. We started changing the garden in 2010. During 2011 we perfected the assortment and started taking pictures of the first referential bouquets for our future web page, which we launched in 2012. It was not until 2013 that we got acknowledged in broader terms and it was mainly thanks to a farmers’ market where we made our debut. ON WHAT PRINCIPLES DO YOUR GARDEN AND COMPANY WORK? Květinové lahůdkářství is run by only two humans – us. Then there are the ducks, which control the slugs in the garden and produce organic manure, and the dogs, which guard the garden. Of course, apart from this we have our full-time jobs that pay the bills. The garden works on the principle that at any time and during any season (except when there is lots of snow) we should be able to create a bouquet or a floral decoration from our own sources. We also collect plants outside our garden because even there you can find real treasures. We choose floral delicacies that would otherwise go unnoticed and serve them to our customers. WHAT SPECIES OF FLOWERS DO YOU GROW? Our assortment is huge. For our bouquets we use everything and anything that has some kind of aesthetic expression and can last in a vase for a reasonable length of time: bulbs, annuals, perennials, fruit, shrub blossoms and roots. The important thing is to always have a good source for every season. For example, at the start of spring we like blooming white botanical species of daffodils. These are then followed by peonies, ornamental garlic, antique roses, bellflowers, coneflowers, dianthuses, hydrangeas and autumn asters. The complete list would go on for quite some time. We also grow more than fifty kinds of medicinal plants. WHAT DOES YOUR YEAR AND YOUR DAILY ROUTINE LOOK LIKE, CONSIDERING THE DIFFERENT SEASONS IN THE GARDEN? We do most of the work in the garden in autumn and spring when
17
the garden needs to be prepared for the new season. We work the soil and cut, trim and prune the plants and shrubs. Summer is another intense season because of the large number of weddings. We get a little rest in January, but even during this month we browse catalogues thinking about what seeds to order to have new material for the upcoming season. We rise with the ducks every day at 5:30, and after that it depends on the weather and on the number of outstanding orders. WHAT FASCINATES YOU ABOUT FLOWERS AND WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ABOUT WORKING WITH THEM? The truth is that we flowers never cease to amaze us: their amazing ability to change in just a few hours or days, the incredible variability of the shapes of their blooms and fruit. The design is what astounds us. Try to design, with a pen and paper, three new shapes of flowers so that they are innovative and simple at the same time. We bet you would have a very hard time. We are also in awe of scents and by the fact that each flower has a smell that resembles what the flower looks like: the correspondence is often amazing. Plants are also perfect biochemical factories creating complicated chemical substances from just a few elements and solar radiation. What we like about flowers is their ephemeral beauty – you have to wait the whole year for them to bloom again. That is probably the most beautiful thing about them: their beauty never gets old or boring. YOU GROW PLANTS ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN? We use only natural manure: horse dung from our neighbour, our own compost, bedding from the ducks and fermented nettle. We do not usually fight pests, but when we do, we do it naturally. For aphids we use lanolin or rapeseed oil solutions; for moulds we use fennel oil or milk; and slugs are an easy task for our Indian Runners. We also strive to plant plants that are mutually beneficial. such as sweet peas and roses. ►
18
HOW DO YOU CREATE THE DESIGN OF YOUR GARDEN AND HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE TO PLANT WHAT? The garden is created spontaneously and is a work in progress. We improvise and sometimes even leave the plants to find their own suitable spots by letting them seed wherever it is best for them. We just establish limits to such free seeding: it is a “controlled wilderness”. Based on the fact that there are various types of soils and different light conditions in the garden, we adjust our selection of plants according to these conditions. WE KNOW THAT YOUR FAVOURITE FLOWERS ARE ANTIQUE ROSES. WHY THEM? Apart from the roots, we admire almost everything about them: their scent, the shape and colour of their blossoms, and often their noble origin. With a number of species we know the exact year and the name of the grower, and sometimes even the name of the person for whom the particular rose was bred. What is fascinating is that in your garden you basically have a genetically identical rose to the one that was admired at the court of Louis XV. Basically, they are a kind of living archive. It is like having your own copy of the manuscript of The Lady of the Camellias or The Chronicle of Dalimil. In our garden we have roses even from the early 14th century. Apart from all that, antique roses are very easy to maintain, bloom luxuriantly and survive our winters better than modern roses. DO YOU DREAM ABOUT A PLANT YOU WOULD LOVE TO GROW IN YOUR GARDEN? Yes, just like every other gardener. For example, we would like to master ► FOUR PHOTOS: Top left: Rose; Rosa ‘Palais Biron‘ Top right: Rose; Rosa ‘Minerva‘ Bottom left: Rose, Rosa ’Lovely Green‘ Bottom right: Rose; Rosa ’Golden Celebration‘
20
THE TRIO OF INDIAN RUNNERS – HUMBERT, DOLORES (LOLITA) AND CHARLOTTE – WERE NAMED AFTER THE THREE MAIN CHARACTERS TRAPPED IN A LOVE TRIANGLE IN VLADIMIR NABOKOV’S LOLITA.
21
Dierama pulcherrimum, a beautiful plant with the common name angel’s fishing rod because its long, flowering stems. It is a plant relative to the iris. Otherwise, we aim for green and dark, almost black, flowers, so anything that comes in these colours is welcome in our garden. FROM WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR WEDDING ARRANGEMENTS? The people we make the arrangements for are our inspiration. Each of them requires and needs something different, and that gives us quite a broad range in how to grasp the particular bouquet. Naturally, our inspiration is also given by the looks of the flowers we use. Every time we grow something in the garden or we find something new, it triggers our imagination and we start thinking about floral compositions. Another inspirational factor is the shape of the container into which we arrange the flowers. That is why we spend a lot of time searching for vases that would dictate to us – with their shape, colour and style – what to put into them. With weddings it is definitely the personality of the bride and the design of her gown. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? We definitely do not intend to expand, because we would like to continue to be personally involved in the process, from the daily care of the garden and flowers to arranging them in bouquets. We feel a lot would be lost if our venture became large-scale. We would love to get together with people who have similar projects and philosophies in culture or cuisine. Our haunted barn would be ideal for all these future possibilities. For more information go to: www.wegrowflowers.cz ■
RIGHT: Herbal garden with white Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) is the dream of every gardener.
23
interior design & accessories for her
www.Kodanska.dk #Kodanska #handpicked #decor #handcraft #home #simplicity #inspiration #style #Awesome
02
LIVING Original and regional architecture
n
O R A: TOW N H O U S E UN G ER text: Adéla Kudrnová | design and realisation: ORA | styling: SOFFA photo: Lina Németh
SURELY YOU STILL REMEMBER THE BEAUTIFUL INTERIOR OF A TOWN HOUSE IN ZNOJMO WHICH WE INTRODUCED TO YOU IN THE LAST PRINTED ISSUE OF SOFFA 09. THE HOUSE IS SO BIG IT WOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH MATERIAL FOR SEVERAL ISSUES OF OUR MAGAZINE, AND SO WE DECIDED TO SHOW YOU MORE OF ITS BEAUTIES AND MYSTERIES. COME IN! In the big printed issue of SOFFA 09 we focused on the residential floor of the house of two architects Bára Zmeková and Jan Hora, who represent two thirds of the architectural studio ORA – Original Regional Architecture. It is them who is behind the successful reconstruction of the entire town house. On the bottom floor, which is below the terrain level, there is the ORA studio – and it is this part of the house that you get to visit now. As opposed to the original decorative features ORA preserved and ► RIGHT: The reconstructed decorative facade of the town house Unger with the writing referring to the date of the building of the house is the pride of the whole street and the entire town. NEXT PAGE: On the bottom floor of the three-storey (excluding the attic) house there is the ORA studio. A part of the bottom floor is designed as gallery premises which at the moment houses two models – the dissertation pieces by Jeník and Bára. Through a large window you can see a concrete staircase à la English yard – a modern element created by the DNA Design company based on ORA’s design.
27
MODELS OF TOWNS – THEY ARE PART OF THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF THE HOUSE WHICH SERVES AS THE ORA ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO
30
renovated in the residential part of the house, when designing the bottom floor of the house Bára and Jeník focused mainly on simplicity and functionality. In the monochrome interior, with its predominant concrete grit and white and grey paint, successful ORA designs are born. Among such designs there is the U Modráka cellar and Pazderna. The sufficiency of light in the interior (which originally used to be a cellar) is secured by large windows. The front entrance to the studio was designed by ORA as a concrete staircase in the style of English yard. This modern functional element definitely suits the town house in Znojmo! Already in the last article we mentioned that Jeník and Bára collect furniture and accessories from old buildings. The used several pieces such as old door or chairs in their studio as well. For more information go to: o-r-a.cz ■
RIGHT: The long table is accompanied by various chairs from different eras and materials and their combination enlivens otherwise monochromatic grey interior.
31
IN THE FRONT PART OF THE HOUSE ORA DESIGNED MODERN CONCRETE ELEMENTS WHICH IN AN ALMOST UNEXPECTEDLY GREAT WAY WORK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECORATIVE FEATURES OF THE FACADE FROM THE END OF 19TH CENTURY. BOTH CONCRETE STAIRCASES WERE REALISED BASED ON THE DESIGN BY THE DNA DESIGN COMPANY.
33
INT ROD U CI N G
SOFFA DESIGN STUDIO INT E RI OR D E S I G N WE CREATE AND DECORATE YOUR HOMES our experienced team offers you full design services: consulting or full architecture - help from first step to realisation
WO R KS H OPS WE TEACH DIY, ST YLING, INTERIOR DESIGN want to learn how to style, decorate, design and create in SOFFA style? we are happy to show you.
CONTACT www.soffamag.com info@soffamag.com +420 777 623 346
ORDER AN
PRINTED
Dedicated
1
SOFFA 09 IS PRINTED! DO YOU LIKE THE ONLINE VERSION OF SOFFA? NOW, YOU CAN HAVE THE VOLUME IN PAPER AS WELL. BUY IT IN OUR NEW SHOP BY SOFFA: SHOP.SOFFAMAG.COM
Print:
Pages: Size: Origin: Language: Edition:
offset-printed and perfect bound, full colour on high-quality 140 gsm paper 160 A4 Prague, Czech Republic English 1000 copies
shop.soffamag.com
ND ENJOY!
D SOFFA
d to Travel
12 €
EDITORIAL STAFF Adéla Kudrnová I editor in chief adela@soffamag.com Lenka Hlaváčová I art director & designer lenka@soffamag.com Lina Németh I photographer lina@soffamag.com Adéla Havelková I photographer & graphic designer adela.h@soffamag.com Antonín Cífka I production manager antonin@soffamag.com Terézia Bělčáková I marketing & PR terezia@soffamag.com Kateřina Krejčí I English translation
n
CONTACT www.soffamag.com info@soffamag.com +420 775 555 035 +420 777 623 346
PUBLISHER: SOFFA, s.r.o. Drtinova 557/10 150 00 Praha 5 www.soffamag.com IČ: 03055671 / DIČ: CZ03055671
SUBSCRIBE To subscribe, visit shop.soffamag.com or email us at info@soffamag.com
registration: MK ČR E 21947, ISSN 2336-5943 PRINT: H.R.G. spol. s r.o. Svitavská 1203, 570 01 Litomyšl
37
BECO M E O UR PA R T N ER www.soffamag.com terezia@soffamag.com | +420 775 555 035
WE LIKE TO COOPERATE AND PARTICIPATE IN INTERESTING PROJECTS! EVEN YOU OR YOUR COMPANY CAN BE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE, MAKE YOURSELF SEEN ON OUR WEB. DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US. WE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU!
n
DO NOT MIS S OU R N E X T I S S U E
IN AUGUST f i x p l