Located in the Karlin neighbourhood of the Czech capital, this colourful 120 sq m day nursery was created by Prague-based No Architects from what was once a deep-plan office. The design uses colour to identify the functions in the daily lives of babies and toddlers, employing an unexpected palette of saturated darker hues contrasted with flashes of bright colour and the pale, neutral tones of birch ply.

Work, rest, play – and food!

The project reconfigures an orthogonal office plan with a lively sequence of angled spaces connected by sightlines through internal windows. The new, dynamic layout is based around a daily routine of explorative play, social interaction, eating and resting for babies in the age range of 9–24 months, with clearly differentiated zones for each activity. 

Rest time is sheltered by a curved wall featuring egg-shaped picture windows while activities like drawing are accommodated around a nest of octagonal and heptagonal tables of varying heights. The all-important function of play is strongly signalled in zones of bright padded flooring in red and yellow, complete with over-scale building blocks in primary colours as well as more intricate toys suitable for developing fine motor skills.

Key thresholds like the entrance doorway for drop-offs and pick-ups by parents and carers are highlighted in mustard yellow while the open-plan food prep area is flagged in an edible-looking ochre. Dotted throughout the nursery are structures incorporating cave-like mini spaces for play and retreat, including a sculptural funnel-like form in dark navy and an exploratory wall in rich aubergine.

Developing Malvína’s colour palette

Jakub Filip Novák of No Architects explains that Malvína Nursery’s distinctive colour palette was developed in collaboration with well-known Czech artist Daniela Baráčková, who originally trained as a teacher. “Our decisions around colour were very carefully considered but in an intuitive rather than scientific way,” he observes.

“Colour in architecture is never simple,” says Jakub, explaining that while initial colour choices were influenced by the building itself, the neighbourhood context and the branding of the nursery chain, the final palette was orchestrated in situ by closely observing the juxtapositions of different hues and shades on different materials and shapes. “We thought from the eyes of the child who’s learning to walk. Small children tend to look up and down more than adults do, so we looked from that perspective when positioning contrasts between colour, texture and form on the base of a white floor.”

And how have pre-school children taken to the colourful project? Jakub says it’s interesting to see how children and their parents react to the space. “The colour and soft surfaces seem to encourage freedom of movement in adults as well as children of all ages. You’ll see parents and carers lying down on the yellow mats to really engage with the little people. Free from inhibitions or concerns about safety, everyone is more relaxed.”