Many of us remember the architect Kamila Douděrová from the TV show about interior transformations. She has an innate gift of being empathetic and thanks to this, she changes people’s living and, in fact, their lives for the better. She originally thought about studying medicine, but today she has Studio Kamidesign and says that thanks to her profession she also helps in a way, but it doesn’t flow. And it’s always nice and original.
What do you need to know about your clients? How do you feel them?
Exactly, it is important to be able to perceive how people live, how the family works. I need to know who I am designing for and why. Where I sit in the apartment also plays a role. Somewhere the center of the action is at the dining table, in others it leads visitors to the living room. I spend the first two hours there asking specific, sometimes very personal questions. The budget is not important at this stage, the important thing is that it must be original and for specific people who need somewhere to store a lot of board games or a lot of books. Actually, it doesn’t happen to me that someone says: do what you want.
So does the psychological moment also play a role?
I have a feeling that maybe two-thirds of the time it’s like that. It often happens that someone says that they already have a bad kitchen. But then I find out that the lady is just not happy anymore, so her feeling is not only about the kitchen door. Or, on the contrary, they do not feel comfortable in the kitchen because it is dark or has too many things in it. I like listening to people. And rarely is it a list of requirements. So one dishwasher, two handles, that’s not what it’s about. I’m happy when people open up to me. If they are not shared, you will not make a custom apartment well.
Do your clients know what style they want, or do you have to guide them to it?
It is good if they prepare pictures of interiors that they like. Few people can name a style. And most importantly – the story is also told by the space, the house… So that’s why I go to households to feel the genia loci. People appreciate when I respond to the space and connect with them. Then they trust me.
Your interiors are very special. Is it also thanks to the courage of your clients?
Yes, that’s right, I have exceptional clients who want a special solution. For example, we designed a bedroom and a kitchen for Halina Pawlowska. That was a beautiful job. She is not afraid of anything. So my kitchen is complete. Some people think I have a clear style. But when you make a custom interior and each client has different requirements, you cannot have one manuscript. On the contrary, I like all challenges – when people ask me, for example, that they want to arrange a log cabin, I enjoy it as much as a villa in the First Republic. I also like the block of flats. The diversity is the best part of the job. I probably wouldn’t be able to do development projects “for anyone”.
Is it difficult to reconcile spouses and partners who disagree?
Then I feel like a mediator – when, for example, I say my opinion and the lady immediately turns to her husband: you see, I told you so. I’m not comfortable with that, I don’t want to be the judge, but it’s always interesting what compromise we find. I always ask men too, what would make them feel good. Some are even so enlightened as to say: happy wife, happy family. Sometimes it’s a challenge for me to get people talking. But I also managed to do it with a gentleman who was totally morous, as Marek Eben says – a typical intruder – he came to the meeting only because his wife dreamed of a new kitchen designed by us.
What do you notice in the interior and fulfill all your wishes?
Of course, I have to measure the place well, find out where the daylight is coming from, because it falls at a different angle in each place and the colors have a different effect. I will find out what the ceilings are like – if it is possible to easily redo the wiring for the lights… You need to know when to consistently fulfill all the requirements – wine rack, handles and so on. And sometimes I know that if I don’t follow everything, it will help the space. Then it’s up to me to defend it. But I never make fun of it when a client says they want to display, for example, cut glass. On the contrary, I like it when he likes it that way, rather than when he doesn’t want anything. My favorite feeling is when a proposal is born and I internally feel that it is THE one, exactly for that particular person, that is the alpha and omega for me.
We often wish to incorporate an old piece of furniture from our grandparents into a more modern space. Can you always do it?
Probably yes, or maybe I will recommend that the furniture needs to be repainted or modified in other ways. Or, on the contrary, we adapt the entire interior to that piece, so that one art deco greenhouse stands out – so we leave everything light gray, smooth, minimalist. And that’s actually what I enjoy most about it. Of course, the piece has to be worth it, it can’t be untidy laminate.
What latest trends related not only to design but also to materials do you like?
I like sustainability and the associated recyclable materials. For example, acoustic panels, so-called echoblocks, look like felt, but are made of PET bottles. They can have moldings, which then form beautiful ornaments on the wall. Or we send plastic waste to the Plastic guys, they remelt it, turn it into a table top, whatever you want. That’s how we enjoy it. Or cardboard furniture. People are hearing about these possibilities now.
You like colors. Butpeople are a bit afraid of them… How do you manage to convince them?
It’s good if they can admit it themselves and that’s exactly why they come to us. Visualizations are photorealistic outputs that really overwhelm the client in arguments. I’m always tense, because people see all the drawings first, and at the end we show them the pictures, and they only create a wow effect, because laymen simply can’t imagine the space on 2D drawings. I’m glad that we can present ideas to clients in such a perfect way.
What shades are used the most in our interiors today?
We often give neutral tones, but there is no longer a great demand for white, rather it is a shade of cashmere, white coffee or taupe. It’s not even yellow, beige or vanilla, more like a light grey-brown – that’s usually a modern neutral foundation. And as a complement, people like kerosene, turquoise, blue. We recently designed an interior that is kerosene and combined with terracotta. If we succeed in realizing it, I will enter us in the Interior of the Year, precisely because people are generally afraid of colors. Minimalist perfection is often presented in magazines. It almost feels like AI to me.
And as for materials, do you like wood and stone substitutes that look just as perfect as natural materials?
It doesn’t offend me at all, the laminates are believable and nice. You won’t have to pay more to have all the furniture, including a wardrobe made of veneer and solid wood. About five years ago, the renovation of an apartment in a classic block of flats 3 + 1 cost one and a half million crowns, and today we are at least two million crowns. And it cannot be designed cheaper. Of course, we can “facelift” a small room from IKEA and it is also interesting. That’s another challenge. I also enjoy looking for designer furniture that is not expensive in furniture chains. I don’t really like brands at all. I like Czech companies that I like to support, such as Polstrin or Ton.
What would you recommend investing in, what is the basis?
Certainly to what is firmly connected to the building, that is the kitchen, bathroom and storage areas. If you dedicate one wall to a proper built-in wardrobe, the entire area of the room opens up. A large piece of furniture will have the exact opposite effect than you would expect. The space looks much more airy than when there is one cabinet surrounded by others in different designs and layers of things on top of them. This then causes anxiety. The bed should definitely be of good quality. As someone said: bed and shoes. This is exactly what you should not skimp on, because it is related to health. It is good to pay for a proposal from a professional, so you don’t make mistakes and you can solve it in stages.
Wallpaper is a beautiful decoration and you like to use it. Why?
They are decorative and add style. Wallpapers are simply a joy. And now I will return to substitutes – wallpapers can imitate stucco, for example, quite nicely. Of course, when someone pays for Venetian stucco, it’s even more beautiful. They can also imitate wood or brick cladding, it also looks good. Of course, it is not calculated that you will have the wallpaper for fifty years. Women in particular have the urge to change once in a while. And wallpaper is actually such a cheap way to achieve that.
All accessories, textiles or lamps can quickly transform…
I like accessories very much. But the project or proposal must be good at every stage. I can’t save him with pillows, which sometimes happens, that’s just a kind of decoratorism. But when I decorate the well-designed interior, it only has proper proportions and harmonious harmony. It is the details that complete the whole. But the basis of everything is the layout, that means the correct arrangement of the furniture, so that it works proportionally, so that there is enough space, and this does not save the cushions. On the contrary, decorations will help coziness, you can’t achieve that with anything else. I like it when both work.
What advice would you give to people who don’t have the resources to design or have an imagination?
It’s good to know what you like. If it’s wood and oak decor, stick to it. Do not combine it with cherry or ash. Then choose another neutral shade of color for the cabinets, for example white, gray or cashmere. Then it is good to choose the color of the metal, it is on the handles, handles, lights. Copper, silver, black is not bad, gold is also nice. And keep it down to the last detail. Add decorations in your favorite color. And if you don’t have the courage to put paint on the wall or on the sofa, then use it on cushions, a carpet or a blanket – something that can be changed. If you clarify the wood decor, neutral color, metal and complementary color, it will turn out well. You probably won’t create an apartment for a magazine, but you will definitely feel good there.
Did you change your design approach in any way after the birth of your three children?
I’m probably going to cut a branch under myself now, but the children are my priority right now. I work nights only when there is time. And, of course, the children influenced me in the fact that there is no point in making expensive rooms out of lacquer or veneer, because I always redo them after five years. These are experiences that you don’t even need to be an architect for. However, I expect that a small child needs a larger play area and I am thinking ahead where he will have a desk and a bigger bed. I don’t like infantile dressers and cupboards. For me, it is worthwhile to make nice built-in wardrobes, which can be funny, for example. So a large wardrobe for the children’s room as well, I’ll sign for that.
What are you looking forward to at work now and are you planning something new?
I am looking forward to the studio that I will have in the house in Čelákovice where we live. There was a store on the ground floor, so I took advantage of it. There will be everything in it – a meeting table made from a planer – an old joiner’s table, I will add a turquoise armchair or a green Pantonka to it, simply every piece is original. Another idea arose spontaneously – František Kobližka and I enjoy working together, so we want to document the stories from “Dreams” when they are not yet completely forgotten. We would like to pass on experiences not only from behind the scenes, but also show how the spaces looked before, how we designed them. We are now preparing a full-day seminar for the spring, where we will demystify such a “kitchen”. We have to move, I always need to have a goal.
Text: Šárka Horká
You could find this article in the magazine Recipe No. 02/26.
