• 07/11/2022
• By wizewebsite
• 445 Views

See how the famous hairdresser Tomáš Arsov lives.We visited his apartment in the center of Prague<

Do you live partly in Prague and partly in Dubai, where do you spend more time? What actually brought you to Dubai?

I'd like to have it balanced, but it's not quite possible. I have a friend who lives in Dubai and I have to say that we have been through a very difficult time in the last few years because we have experienced what it is like to be locked together for several months 24 hours a day but also to know what it is like to be separated for several months .

I tried to find some regularity in traveling to Dubai and before the coronavirus pandemic started, I was de facto in Prague during the week and went to Dubai on weekends. At check-in at the airport, they knew me in detail. Fortunately, the flight is not long, it is only about five and a half hours. If I compare it with the trip to Ostrava, where I went for work and spent seven hours on the train, it turns out even better. I have currently moved somewhere else on business and my work commitments do not allow me to travel much, so my boyfriend and I will probably be in Prague more often.

MoreSources: Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Šnaid

Do you also have a shared apartment in Dubai?

Yes, we have a duplex apartment there with a terrace and a nice view, right in the center, but I can say that due to traveling, which I have done a lot, I am much closer to the Czech culture and the Czech style of living. I like the style of living as I currently live. This means an older apartment building that has been modernized. I enjoy when history breathes on you from that place. I have parquet floors, paneled doors, casement windows... you won't find anything like that in Dubai. Everything there is beautiful and new, but for me it's a bit soulless. Plus, everything is glass and I have a huge fear of storms. I don't feel good when a good wind blows against our big glass windows.

Now, however, we are located in Štěpánská street. How do you like living here?

A lot of people ask me how I can live in the center, because I'm known to like my peace, but this apartment is located in a courtyard and when you slip in here, you feel like you're somewhere in the woods and definitely outside the center of Prague. You can't really hear anything here, not even cars or trams.

In addition, the location of the apartment probably suits you. Is it a short walk from your salon, which is located in a side street?

Exactly. I always say that things are as they should be, and it was a great coincidence that I really liked this apartment, I feel good in it, and I also have two minutes to work.

The living room is connected to the kitchen and the dining room Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Šnaid

Where did you live before?

In Karlín at the Křižíkova stop. It was living in a similar style, i.e. an old house and a modern interior, but the original features were preserved - high ceilings, double doors and casement windows. After that, I got an offer to move here, which I was fine with. When I went to see, they were just sanding the parquet and painting the doors. So I came to a brand new and clean apartment where there was nothing at all except the kitchen. I arranged everything else myself. Since I don't have time for anything, I arranged it in a "quick" way, thinking that when I somehow "feel" the apartment and know what exactly I like, only then will I finish it. But then the pandemic broke out and I actually got to the point where it suits me this way. However, I've been doing shoemaking for about three years now. (laughter)

So you wouldn't change anything in the end?

Currently, it kind of suits me here, but I like books, for example, so I would like a large library here, or a large wall in the living room. But we talked with a friend, who is an architect and designer, about renovating this Prague apartment together, and we will get down to it after the New Year. But I prefer not to plan anything, because today it is difficult to decide what will happen in two days, sometimes you don't even know what will happen in the evening. However, I know that I would want us to do it together because my boyfriend and I will be living here. He is now in Dubai, but because he has a big company, he works and travels all over the world, so he is more flexible than me. I am a little more attached to the Czech Republic.

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You have a professional at home, but how do you perceive design yourself?

I do have a professional at home, but I don't let myself talk too much about it. (laughs) I like a lot of things, I like nature, modern things, but also antiques and a touch of history. I therefore found myself in one direction that I recognized in Dubai. It is neoclassicism, which combines elements of older and modern styles. In doing so, I satisfy both needs in myself. I don't like flat things that are cold and impersonal. Our grandmothers always had walls full of ceramic elephants and glasses, and I think every home should have some kitsch that makes a household a home. My mom always said I had to have a table and a chair because whoever has a table and a chair lives. Although I mostly go home only to sleep, all accessories such as flowers, pictures, etc. are important to me. When I come home, I have to feel that someone lives in the apartment and it's not just a dormitory.

You say that every household should have some kitsch. What is kitsch in your home?

Lots of things. First of all, it is, for example, a fireplace. I've always wanted a fireplace, but never had an apartment that big. When I came to this apartment, I immediately thought that it would work here. Therefore, I found a very nice electric fireplace made of solid wood. When Christmas approaches, I hang decorations in the form of stockings on it, and then it looks like an American movie.

So you like to choose everything yourself? Where do you get inspired?

For the most part, yes, and inspiration comes from anywhere, but I don't focus on anything. If something interests me, I simply take it. Sometimes I would be a bit afraid of designers and architects, or I wouldn't give them a completely free hand, because I just don't like some things and I would be afraid that they wouldn't do it according to my ideas and would stuff me with something that is just modern. I understand that, but if I don't like something, I don't care that it's currently in, and that's how I do it in my work as well. Just because something is modern doesn't mean people will like it. And above all, who can say what is modern today? Nowadays, I feel that everything is modern. That's why I can say that I like neoclassicism, because in the wide range of what the world has to offer, it mostly contains my needs and requirements.

The dining table connects the living area and the kitchen Photo: with the permission of Alexandra Šnaid

Do you have a heart issue at home that is emotionally close to you?

Definitely the mentioned fireplace and also the pictures in the bedroom, which were taken by my good friend and one of the few photographers who could take a very good picture of me. Unfortunately, he committed suicide a month ago, so the images in the bedroom have an even deeper meaning for me.

In terms of other things and accessories, do you have any favorite brands and places where you shop most often?

I don't really care about brands, but I buy a lot of accessories from, for example, WestWing, where they have really good and stylish pieces. It's always about the given thing catching my eye in some way. But I like high-quality things and materials, and it's the same with, for example, clothes, which don't have to primarily show that they are branded, but it's more about quality. If you buy a cheaper item, it won't last as long, so I'd rather buy one quality item than a bunch of low quality ones. This is doubly true for furniture.

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We are located in the center of Prague. With your busy schedule, do you even have the opportunity to use everything that the surroundings have to offer? Does that mean restaurants, shops, businesses?

I always laugh when someone asks me about my free time, because I really don't have much. I get up every day at six in the morning, I exercise from seven to eight o'clock and then I go to work, where I stay calm until nine o'clock in the evening. On the weekends, I'm either filming or doing radio, and when I have time left, I most often fly away somewhere. It was rare that I had the opportunity to just go for a walk without any destination. But I like Prague 1, it's very nice here. I don't do it very often, but I like to just walk along the Charles Bridge, the Castle, Náplavka, etc. There are really a lot of beautiful places here.

So can you imagine your life in the center in the future?

Definitely. I can't even imagine living in a family home. It involves a lot of worries and you need to have a lot of free time to take care of the house. So far, I am satisfied with this, and if I were to think about what I want in the future, this type of living in the center suits me absolutely.

Where do you spend the most time at home? Is it the aforementioned bedroom where you stretch out and rest after work?

It might sound strange and a lot of people will probably think I'm crazy, but lately I've been coming home, sitting on the floor in the bathroom and watching the washing machine as it washes. I am at work from morning to evening and someone is always saying something to me and talking at me. I've got a big team of hairdressers and lots of clients that we're always talking about, whether it's Christmas, politics, partners or kids, and sometimes it's just too much for me, so I come home, run the washing machine and just sit in front of it.

But keep calm. I have a fairly well-respected coach, and I asked him if I wasn't weird for just looking at the washing machine. He said it was perfectly fine if it made me feel good. So I let go of the guilt and I'm resting. I generally like to sit on the ground. When I come to visit somewhere, everyone tells me to sit on a normal sofa, but I just enjoy sitting on the floor.

Tomáš has danced competitively since he was a child and thanks to this he learned discipline and perseverance. At the end of the day, he prefers to lie down in his bed Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Šnaid

Speaking of electrical appliances, how much do you put up with, for example, a smart home and controlling home appliances remotely via phone?

I like it and think it's cool. I would like to have, for example, lighting or a sound system solved like this, but an overly intelligent household is not for me, because when I come home, I need to physically touch those things. I'm a little old school in that regard. And most importantly, why would I turn on the washing machine remotely? Then I would come home like at the end of the movie to the cinema. (laughter)

I understand that. (laughs) If I'm not mistaken, your salon has been operating for eight and a half years and is very well designed. Did you also deal with his proposal?

At the outset, I have to say that a lot had to be done, because originally it was a pretty crazy store with sports and skate clothes, with variously scribbled walls and moldy beams. When I came there with the architect, specifically it was an architect from Armani in Italy, he told me if we were crazy. I was quite curious what he was going to do with it, but he did. When he arrived, we spent two days together, where he asked me about my life, what I like and how I would like to see my salon. Only then did he make a proposal and I remember him saying that even the boutiques on Pařížská are created in similar colors, using wood, glass and mirrors, because this combination is not subject to any trends. I am delighted with the implementation and the clients also like it very much.

You probably spend most of your time in the salon. Does it generate suggestions and ideas for your products?

Yes, a lot of things are created there, because I get inspiration and good ideas in the salon. Speaking of design, I also enjoy designing my products. However, you may notice that this is a sheer foundation, as I feel the market is oversaturated and overcombined, and the simpler the product, the better. That's why I made the design really very clean so that it wouldn't be unnecessarily distracting.