co.arch: when a space knows when to step back

At Prague’s Lihovar, Tereza Hejlová has created a professional base for architects and designers. Not to compete with them, but to lend them, for a while, the most precious thing of all — a studio of their own.

What is appealing about Tereza Hejlová is a combination that is far from a given in the creative professions: elegance, diplomacy and no need to be the loudest person in the room at all costs. She does not talk much; rather, she lets you walk through the space first, take in the light, materials and proportions, and only then adds what matters. She steps back at the right moment. The result is surprisingly personal — within a few minutes you feel as though you are in a studio you have known for much longer.

“A good base need not overpower the architect. It should give them calm, confidence and space, so that they can be themselves in front of the client.”

A studio that does not take over your client

This is the very foundation of co.arch by Tereza Living. Tereza herself works in interior design, yet the studio’s principle is set up very cleanly: it does not compete with visiting architects, and it protects their privacy, their authorship and their relationship with the client. Figuratively speaking, she entrusts them with her most precious child — her own studio. They can hold presentations, meetings and consultations here, use two meeting rooms, the working facilities and a curated library of materials and samples. Once the doors close, co.arch can, for a few hours, feel like their own atelier.

A well-thought-out online booking system takes this freedom further. The space does not depend on the owner’s presence and allows work late into the evening or even overnight when the pace of a project demands it. There is generosity and trust in this: to create a beautiful place and then truly hand it over to others, without the need to stand constantly behind them.

The new energy of Lihovar

co.arch is housed in a new building within Trigema’s Lihovar project in Prague’s Smíchov district. High ceilings, contemporary architecture and the energy of an emerging city quarter give it the right backdrop. You can sense a great deal of work and new ideas here, along with a very pleasant, human atmosphere. The place does not feel like a sterile showroom; rather, it is a lively base where people meet who genuinely design, decide and build.

On behalf of Vertex Group, we can recommend co.arch from our own long-standing experience with Tereza Hejlová. In our coordination work together, we value her reliability, her feel for detail, her diplomatic approach and her ability to carry things through from idea to realisation. And also something far less measurable, but essential to working together: Tereza is simply surrounded by good people. We therefore see co.arch not as yet another pleasant coworking space, but as a professional base created by someone who understands the field from the inside — and has enough confidence to let the work of others shine.

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