Designblok: AGC glass adorns the DECHEM Studio stand at the Prague Castle Riding Hall
Want to relive the atmosphere of a “’90s office”? Then you’ve got to come to this year’s Designblok and visit DECHEM Office, Studio DECHEM’s uniquely designed booth at the Prague Castle Riding Hall. In addition to furniture, office equipment, and glass objects by DECHEM Studio’s designers, the “office” is significantly enhanced by an eight-meter-long exterior enclosure made of laminated glass. And we’re delighted that Studio DECHEM chose to collaborate with AGC; Planibel Grey and Dark Grey smoked glass from our Teplice glassworks was used to create the geometric wall.
Designblok 2026, the 28th edition of the international design and fashion festival, is currently taking place at several exceptional venues in Prague. The theme of this year’s edition is “Light as a Symbol of Knowledge, Truth, Hope, and Life.” The festival will bring together more than 300 curator-selected artists, studios, brands, and guests from the Czech Republic and abroad. The main exhibitions will take place at the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery in Prague, the Riding Hall and the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Prague Castle, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Following extensive renovations, the Industrial Palace will reopen as part of DesignBlok. Dutch design star Marcel Wanders will receive the award for outstanding contributions to global design.
Light will permeate this year’s DesignBlok in many forms—as a practical tool, a technological phenomenon, a distinctive element of architecture and design, and as a conceptual symbol. Through exhibitions, installations, lectures, discussions, and presentations, the festival will focus on how light influences our perceptions, emotions, and daily lives, and how design can contribute to the development of society.
For the fourth time, Prague Castle will also be one of the main venues for this year’s DesignBlok. The Riding Hall at Prague Castle will host the exhibition “Design for Václav Havel,” organized to mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of the first post-revolutionary president. A highlight of the exhibition will be Václav Havel’s original study, which is returning to Prague Castle after 24 years thanks to a loan from Mr. and Mrs. Kolka. The exhibition is organized by DesignBlok and Prague Castle, with Andrea Běhounková and Jana Zielinski serving as curators.
The Riding Hall will also host the fourth edition of the curated exhibition “High Craft,” organized under the auspices of Vogue CS magazine. More than two dozen Czech artists and brands will showcase contemporary interpretations of traditional crafts, which are being propelled toward the future through innovative technologies and eco-friendly approaches. Exhibitors will include, for example, ARTGLASS—now under the artistic direction of Jakub Berdych Karpelis—Christmas ornaments by Rautis, glass objects by DECHEM and Hana Hillerová, and sculptures made of glass, bronze, and ceramics by Janja Prokić.
When: October 7–11, 2026
Where: DesignBlok, Prague Castle Riding Hall, DECHEM Office booth, J09
Tickets: https://www.designblok.cz/cs/vstupenky/
Photo: The Earth Systems_Marek Jarkovsky
