From Inspiration to Reality: An Interview with Veronika Arichteva About How She Fulfilled Her Dream of Refined Living

This time, we bring you an interview with a distinguished actress and a woman with a sophisticated sense of humor. Veronika Arichteva has played unforgettable roles in many films. She is one of the three hosts of a regularly sold-out Czech talk show, 3v1. A few years ago, she and her husband bought an old house and with both apprehension and enthusiasm dove into reconstructing it. Would she do it again? See for yourself.

“An Architect Takes Things Into Account That No One Else Would Even Think Of”

At first glance, the interior of Veronika’s house is a place with its own spirit. The space harmoniously combines modern elements with vintage ones and has a unique atmosphere. Large mullioned windows and double doors throughout its ground floor contribute to that. “My husband and I knew what we liked. But sometimes it was a bit much. So we turned to architects for advice, who pulled our vision and styles together. But still, I can’t imagine letting them create designs for the place we will live without our input and letting them know what makes us feel comfortable.”

What style pleases Veronika’s eye? She prefers a clean, simple style, but one that has to feel warm and cozy. She says that she can’t imagine living in a house made of colorless concrete and glass.

Practical but Stylish

The entire kitchen, which forms the heart of the house, originated in the architects’ studio. “It was beautiful on paper, so my husband and I just tweaked the colors and sizes and made some minor practical adjustments. I fell in love with the rounded island in the kitchen the first time I saw it in the plans.” Veronika was determined to use TechniStone® from the very beginning. “We wanted Mystery White in the kitchen from the start and it was the right decision. I googled it right away and learned that I could put a hot pot down on it and nothing would happen.” The fact that a TechniStone® surface is almost maintenance-free was another attraction for Veronika.

Her kitchen has some hidden advantages as well. “We literally have a concealed pantry, which is also a pass-through to the utility room and behind a big block of kitchen cabinets. It’s a very practical thing because I don’t have to go around the whole kitchen, living room, and hallway to get a rag or some cleaning product. It’s a dream come true to have a pantry in the kitchen.

A backsplash made from a large slab of engineered stone in Technistone’s Mystery White.

A Non-Standard Kitchen Requires a Non-Standard Approach

The design itself specified a number of unconventional elements that needed to be fabricated and installed in the interior. The actual construction of the kitchen started five months before it was completed. Veronika entrusted the unusual project to the stonemasons at the KÁMEN-DEKOR studio, who had to cope with her desire to have a backsplash in the kitchen that was made without joints from one large 320×160 cm piece of engineered stone. This unique feature lets the beauty of the Mystery White decor stand out. The TechniStone® slab weighed 260 kg, so the installation was not easy.

Another unusual feature was the way the countertop on the island was manufactured. “The island countertop has two 2 cm-thick plates laid on top of each other, with the bottom plate recessed by about 2 cm. Overall, this gives the edges a solid impression, even though the is only 2 cm thick. Both slabs have a slightly chamfered edge, which is the most popular edge treatment today.”

The stonemasons used four full jumbo slabs in the 320×160 cm format for the entire project. “The amount of material used was large, especially because the tiling was in an atypical full format and the thickness of the countertop on the island was doubled. We used a left-over portion of one TechniStone® slab to make a mantelpiece over the fireplace.”

Kitchen countertop made from Technistone® in the Mystery White decor.

“We Really Feel Good Here”

Even though the reconstruction of the old house required considerable sacrifices, Veronika would do it again. “Things were really difficult when construction was under way. We often doubted whether we could finish it at all and whether we’d made a mistake. But we learned some lessons and gained some experience, so in the end I think we really enjoyed renovating the house.” Veronika adds that working with experts on the project was definitely a good decision and that it was a pleasure to see how well the stonemasons at KÁMEN-DEKOR understand and enjoy their work.