Vrtiška & Žák

Vrtiška & Žák, a Czech duo shaping contemporary product design

Vrtiška & Žák are one of the most prominent design duos in the Czech Republic. Roman Vrtiška and Vladimír Žák form the Prague-based studio. The studio quickly moved beyond its local context and joined the international design discourse by combining an artistic approach with engineering precision.

Vrtiška & Žák balance architectural thinking with the emotional expression of objects. The studio creates furniture, lighting, interior objects and exhibition installations in which form remains connected to function.

Approach and philosophy

Vrtiška & Žák work at the intersection of industrial and collectible design. The studio turns technology into a visual language.

Vrtiška & Žák projects feature:

clean geometry and expressive silhouettes
material emphasis, including glass, metal and wood
engineering logic in the construction
experimentation with scale and composition

Vrtiška & Žák often draw on Central European cultural codes and reinterpret traditions through a contemporary aesthetic.

International recognition

Vrtiška & Žák works have been exhibited at major international venues, including Milan Design Week and European museums. The studio regularly receives professional awards, while brand collaborations bring the designers' ideas into serial production.

Collaboration with Brokis: the poetics of glass and light

Collaboration with the Czech brand Brokis holds a special place in the practice of Vrtiška & Žák. Brokis is a leader in artistic glass and authorial lighting.

Night Birds, light in motion

Night Birds is a key project and one of the brand's most recognisable collections.

The Night Birds collection draws inspiration from the flight of birds, which appears free, unpredictable and almost abstract. The lighting is made from blown glass, and each form recalls a bird silhouette in motion.

Night Birds collection features:

dynamic, asymmetric forms
handcrafted glass
compositional flexibility, from single objects to complex installations
soft diffused light

The Night Birds collection demonstrates a key Vrtiška & Žák theme: transforming a physical phenomenon, movement, into product design.

Technology as art

Through the collaboration with Brokis, Vrtiška & Žák gained access to traditional glassblowing techniques. The designers give those techniques a contemporary expression.

The production process functions as more than a craft. The production process forms part of the artistic statement. Each piece carries traces of handwork, making every object unique even within serial production.

Role in contemporary design

Vrtiška & Žák represent a new generation of European designers. The duo focuses on creating an idea around each object as well as creating the object itself.

Vrtiška & Žák projects:

expand the boundaries of product design
unite art and industry
shape the visual language of contemporary interiors

Vrtiška & Žák works are sought after in private interiors and public spaces, including galleries and premium residences.

Vrtiška & Žák show how a local design school can become part of a global context. The collaboration with Brokis demonstrates that traditional crafts, especially glasswork, remain relevant and sought after in the 21st century.

Vrtiška & Žák design expresses more than form. The design brings movement, light and an idea into material form.