Architects and artists with whom Darja has created Miyabi
It was in the early 1990s that Darja established a collaboration with academic architect Vít Máslo. He was then the co-owner of an avant-garde architectural studio. He is now a renowned architect of international significance. Vít Máslo was enthusiastic about Darja as a progressive investor. Darja was enthusiastic about Vítek because he was passionate about new inspirations and at the same time shared with Darja the feeling for preserving the dispositions of a century-old apartment building in Prague 1. Both wanted to make Czech skills visible. The logo ČaJ – Bohemia (Čechy) and Japan – thus also worked in the architectural task. Darja wanted Japanese elements to be combined with what is valuable in the Czech Republic. She came up with an unusual assignment while having a solid Japanese experience, she knew what she wanted. She was willing to spend money on experimental solutions. Together, they searched for craftsmen of fine professions, such as stonemasons for paving castle roads or plasterers with gold slices, and chose material such as Czech granite or slate. The stepping stones are from the confluence of the Elbe and the Vltava rivers. From the beginning, Miyabi was meant to become a harmony of reciprocity, where friendship is born.
Twenty-five years later, Darja adds new space to Miyabi. It is a Zen house in the inner block of the building. The co-author is the academic architect Lukáš Bílek. He also honors the assignment of Prague’s urban planning and likes a minimalist and clean style. Darja entrusted the demanding implementation to the company ARA, which is one of the best on the market of wooden architecture. The gardens were taken over by Eduard Chvosta, who founded the famous Japanese garden in the Troja Botanical Garden. The house will be used only for exceptional meetings , exhibitions and exclusive banquets. When you sit on a tatami mat in it – your feet are comfortably lowered under the table – and look out into the Zen garden, it is a wonderful feeling of purity and freedom. The smell of wood and plaster will also calm you down. The new Miyabi space brings hope to a time of uncertainty we now live in.
On the windows of Miyabi, which are her showcase, there are large etchings of the ČaJ logo from the hand of world graphic artist Aleš Najbrt, a friend and supporter of Miyabi. “Č” represents Bohemia and “J” stands for Japan. Together they are čaj, which represents the Tea ceremony of Cha-no-ju. The little “a” is the creator of Miyabi Darja Kawasumi as a link that calls for friendship and reciprocity through a simple thing – good food and drink, prepared with art attention and a welcoming mind of hospitality.
The graphic shape of the ČaJ logo resembles the letter “Y”, which forms the central syllable of the Miyabi logo – thus connecting the vision with the name. Miyabi means style and elegance referring to the beauty of traditional Kyoto, which does not want to get stuck, but instead enriched with new knowledge and new dreams. Miyabi is a spark in the stone heart of Prague.
The architectural environment of Miyabi is designed so that one feels being a part of everything around. Al lis created to find peace and to relax. To be enriched. Harmony, purity, respect and serenity are the basic elements of the philosophy of the Japanese tea ceremony, and Miyabi founder Darja Kawasumi promotes these principles in Miyabi in the selection of aesthetic accessories, in floral decoration, in the creation and serving of food – in all what goes on in Miyabi.
Come and enjoy.
