Interior solution for a lawyer´s office

Interview with Oleg Haman, co-author of the Peychlová & partners law office.

How did you get the contract? 
Ms. Helena Peychlová is our lawyer, so she asked us to design the office, including a site survey. At that time, the law firm was located in the same building, Na příkopě, and we tried to evaluate two other locations – in Sněmovní Street, but in the end we came back here

What was the reason for staying at Na příkopě in the end? 
Na příkopě Street is one of the top 25 business streets in Europe, and since the office has a lot of clients from abroad, it was an easy decision: to stay in the city centr.e.

Who is behind the project? 
Me (Oleg Haman) and Petr Neumann

What challenges did the project bring?
For the law firm it was important, as I have already mentioned, to choose the right location that would be easily and quickly accessible for signing contracts and the smooth running of various negotiations. This has to do with the lawyer’s operation, which on the one hand is trivially simple, but on the other hand is judged by who walks into the room through what door – how people meet when they are dealing with a dispute. Also, how clients sit at the table and so on. So that layout and functionality had to be thought about carefully and for a long time. The office was later expanded and has 2 entrances and 2 exits at the same time (two staircases, that is), which is crucial because there are clients who just come in to sign something and shouldn’t meet other clients..

What other challenges has the project brought?
It was also difficult due to the building being listed to deal with minor alterations such as: doors. The old door tha led to the meeting room was leaking, obviously due to the type of work done, nothing could be heard outside.

How did you approach the proposal in general?
The law firm is rather smaller in size, it’s set up for 12-15 people, so it was more about details and operations. For the law office of Ms. Peychlová, we chose art from sculptor Michal Gabriel to complement the office space with furniture from Vitra, which takes it to a different position than is generally the norm.
The magistrate’s office, which has windows facing Na příkopě street, is unique mainly because they are interspersed with personal details: a portrait of her grandmother hangs in the centre of the office, the chandelier is by her boyfriend Bořek Šípek, and the family’s vintage clock. It’s further decorated with photos of the family and other people who were involved in some collaboration.