Radek Koblasa, who was born in Prague, but was secreted away by his parents at the tender age of 9 months into Switzerland as communist tanks rolled into the streets of the Czech capital in 1968, grew up in Basel and always dreamed of living in a Villa Kunterbunt of his own. Several years ago, he pooled together with a few close friends and they set about making it happen.
Zurich’s industrial zone, Zurich West is fast becoming Zurich’s cultural Mecca: artists, architects, club owners, designers, immigrants, students and whatever falls in between are lured to this seedier part of town by affordable rents, enormous loft spaces, club culture and a diversity boom interspersed with working class culture. Here, Radek and friends bought a six story house on an indistinct block of gray residential buildings, and set about transforming it into storybook proportions. The result is five floors of four distinct living spaces; dream reflections of their inhabitants. Put it all together and Pippi would be proud.
Swiss Roots wanted to know if he had a favorite fairy tale or book.Yes I had a favorite book—Pippi Longstocking and I also loved the TV series because that came out soon after the book and I was watching it all the time as well.
And this is where you got the idea for Villa Kunterbunt?Yes!
What does it mean—Villa Kunterbunt?It's a multi-colored place, where you can do whatever you want—a place without limits.
And this was a bit like that for you growing up in Basel, right?My father's house was a sort of Villa Kunterbunt. It was a house where you could do whatever you wanted.
Was your father also an artist?Yes, in a way he was.
How would you describe your parents style, is it typically Czech?It's funny and very eclectic—it’s a mix of the Czech traditional style—and other stuff. My father didn't grow up in Prague, he came from a village, and he liked the folkloristic style. He would collect those little glass tchotchkies they have. They always mixed it up...
So how do you describe your personal style?It’s a mixture: I like it when its nicely designed with “trash” I bring from my travels. I never like it too “clean”.
You have seven people living in the house—how did you meet?Menni, on the first floor -- I went to school with him, so I've known him for about twenty years; Tal upstairs, I've also known for about twenty years. She's also originally from Basel, but then she moved back to Israel and now she's back; Erhardt, my boyfriend—we've been together for seven years.
Menni downstairs and his girlfriend Julscha have two kids—and you have a lot of fantastic wallpaper. What happens when they get to the age where they start writing on the walls?(laughs) I'll probably kill them.
But seriously, just in terms of being a big family, since the kids have access to all the floors—do you have protocols yet about handling children's creative urges?The good thing is there is just Noe —the older one—he can walk now, the other one is still a baby. So we have to find out how its going to work. Noe likes to move from one floor to another—and of course in my part of the house and theirs, he's free to do anything he likes (as long as he doesn't destroy anything.)
