No Architects has incorporated plenty of windows, places to hide and varying floor levels into this welcoming nursery in the Czech capital of Prague.
Located in the city's Karlin district, Malvína Day Nursery is arranged across the 130-square-metre ground floor of a larger kindergarten. Previously an office space, the nursery caters to young children between nine months and two years of age.
Egg-shaped windows near the exit allow children to wave goodbye to their parents
Local firm No Architects was asked to convert the space into an environment where children would feel safe and secure while giving them the freedom to explore their interests.
"We truly believe that design informs the way people behave and develop relations, and with kids it works completely visibly," No Architects co-founder Jakub Filip Novák told Dezeen. "We wanted to create an atmosphere that would be helpful for children's development and that would challenge them in a positive way."
Chairs and tables of different sizes allow children play together across age groups
The nursery rooms are organised around a central space with large windows so that there are clear sightlines across the floor plan.
Bright blocks of colour were used to highlight important areas such as the kitchen counter, lockers and play areas.
Hidden dens and nooks give children the freedom to explore
"The space itself was quite dark ? it's deep and there wasn't too much daylight," said Novák, who started...