“Before the First World War, Béla Málnai and his partner Gyula Haász were among the pioneers of early modern architecture. The war interrupted progress, of course, but in the political environment that followed, after the Aster Revolution, the progressive spirit was revived. The Cultural Association of Artists and Scientists was founded in December 1918 with no less aim than “transforming the intellectual life of the country”, and its board members included Lajta, Vágó, Móric Pogány, István Csók, Rippl-Rónai, Szinyei-Merse, Vaszary, Ady, Babits and other great names, as well as Málnai (extract from Anna Zöldi: From Scenography to Villa Architecture, Octogon)

“In his villas we find recurring motifs: semicircular arcades in the Renaissance style, huge stone vases, a large terrace on the upper floor to break up the otherwise efficiently closed mass. Their layout and spatial organisation are usually classical, but in some cases they are not organic: rooms with sometimes surprising layouts appear as appendages to the main mass. Since his first villas were built at the same time as his work as a stage designer, this may have something to do with their picturesque effect: the family villa as the setting for middle-class life”. (Excerpt Anna Zöldi: Forced Detour, Loud Applause – Béla Málnai’s Stage Design, Építészfórum, 02.04.2020.)

After the Second World War, the villa was divided into several apartments and until recently was used as a condominium. Our client’s intention is to restore the building to its civic grandeur, adapting it to the needs of the time and the family.

Our design removes the demarcation between gentry and servants that was typical at the time of construction. We wanted to redress the imbalance in functionality. The street side, with its staircase, loggia and opening of the façade, was dramatically accentuated and attractive, while the west side, facing the rear garden, was a subordinate, enclosed, somewhat austere part of the building, intended primarily for the staff. The concept for the redesign of the house is to reconcile this ambiguity, recognising that today’s lifestyle requires a different use of buildings and gardens. The kitchen has been opened up to both the rear garden and the living room, making it a central living space for the family rather than a hidden room.