Czech apartment designers create compact spaces as housing prices hit record levels

Designer Kristýna Karešová of Ego Design transformed a 34.6 m² shell‑and‑core flat in Prague, using large 80 × 80 cm high‑gloss tiles, orange accents and mirrored fixtures to make the tiny unit feel spacious and vibrant. The project highlights a growing trend in the Czech Republic where soaring property costs force buyers and renters to accept extremely small dwellings. Recent listings show 1+0.5 and 1+1.5 layouts priced at up to 21 million CZK (about 500 000 CZK per square metre) in districts such as Holešovice. Legal minimum sizes for one‑room apartments are 16 m², yet micro‑units as small as 11 m² are advertised, prompting criticism from housing officials. Developers like EKOSPOL stress a 24 m² floor‑area minimum for compliance, while some landlords even rent former atomic bunkers without windows. The combination of high prices, innovative interior design, and regulatory pressure illustrates the challenges of urban living in the Czech housing market.