mies van der rohe: villa tugendhat

german-born american modernist architect mies van der rohe’s villa tugendhat in brno, czech republic has been recently remodeled by AMOSDESIGN, a czech interior design company. constructed in 1930 for greta and fritz tugendhat and listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, the residence’s interior and gardens have been renovated to preserve on of van der rohe’s most pivotal works in europe. the historical and specified construction methods were used, maintaining original materials and treatment despite their prevalence within today’s current retail markets. the wooden doors, built-in and moveable furniture were restored or manufactured again, utilizing photographs from the MOMA museum, literature, family members and other existing buildings completed by the architect during the time period.

special veneers and decking were reused while replicas for metal locks, hinges and parts were fabricated. all screws, bolts and joining methods were matched. a curved macassar wall in the dining room, which disappeared during world war II, was discovered in a disassembled state as a planar wall cladding within another building nearby. the focal element has been returned to its authentic location bringing back a lost memory. the culmination of two years work, the results successfully produce the atmosphere of its era allowing visitors to travel through time.

upward view of the residence’s exterior
images © miroslav ambroz and archive © AMOSDESIGN

(left) entry
(right) coat hanger of chrome and opaxit glass

living space

living room with onyx wall and buffet

living room window overlooking the garden

living room with barcelona and tugendhat chairs

chair oriented towards the garden

dining table with round wall made from original macassar veneer and black painted pear

library with bench and bridge table

fritz tugendhat’s room with rosewood veneer

staircase

entrance hall with original rosewood wall

terrace for children

governess room with zebrano veneer, maple veneer and opaxit glass

hana’s room with zebrano veneer

cabinet of zebrano and maple veneer

cabinet of zebrano and maple veneer

original drawings from 1929 by mies van der rohe

project info:

property owner and investor: statutory city of brno
renovation architect: association for the villa tugendhat
general contractor: unistav
interior realized by: amosdesign
furniture and interior research for implementation: miroslav ambroz and amosdesign
budget: 8.8 million USD
renovation period: 2010 – 2012
supervision: thicom