Apartment of Richard and Johanna Herdan, Functionalist apartment at Hlinky 46, Old Brno, Czech Republic.
The Herdan apartment at Hlinky 46 is a 1930s residential building with plain geometric forms and expansive windows throughout its rooms. The interior flows openly with light-filled spaces, minimal decoration, and a straightforward layout that reflects the design thinking of its time.
Architect Emmerich Horvat designed this residential building in 1933 during Brno's emergence as a center for modern design across Europe. The project was built during a period when new construction methods and design principles were transforming how people lived.
The living spaces reflect how 1930s Czechs embraced a new way of organizing their homes, with rooms designed for practical daily living rather than formal display. You can see this philosophy in every detail, from the placement of windows to the flow between spaces, showing how design directly shaped domestic life.
The building sits in Old Brno and is easily visible from the street for those wanting to view its exterior architecture. To see the interior, advance arrangements are necessary since this is a private residence.
The building blends three separate design movements of the era within a single residential space, reflecting the experimental nature of 1930s architecture. This combination is rarely seen and shows how architects mixed different style approaches to create modern housing solutions.
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