The Garden &
Vila Tončić
Villa Tončić was built at the beginning of the 20th century in Split as a family home — a place shaped not only by architecture, but by the life and ideas of architect Kamilo Tončić.
What was once a private home, a crafted landscape and a place of gathering continues in a different form — still defined by people, by food and by the moments shared around the table.
Vila Tončić
Villa Tončić was built at the beginning of the 20th century in Split as a family home — a place shaped not only by architecture, but by the life and ideas of architect Kamilo Tončić.
Working from an original design by Karel Beneš, Tončić adapted and completed the villa, extending his authorship beyond the structure itself. The house, the garden and its details were conceived as a unified whole.
Walls within the villa were painted through the Art School he founded, while many of the concrete elements — from the garden fountain to architectural details within the house — were created through the Craft School he established. Ethnographic motifs are present throughout the space — at first read as part of the Secession language, but with closer attention, their ethnographic origin becomes clear.
This connection to ethnography, nature and the idea of the home forms the deeper layer of Mokosh. The name itself draws from this context — from a Slavic figure associated with earth, life and the domestic sphere — reflecting both the cultural language of the villa and the atmosphere of the garden that surrounds it.
The house was never just a residence. It was a place of gathering — of family life, work and shared meals.
Today, its function has changed, but its presence has not. It remains, in essence, a lived space.
The Secret Garden
Behind a wall, the garden remains concealed from the street and the city — set quietly in the centre of Split. Only the tops of the trees are visible — a quiet suggestion of what lies within.
Through the gate, the space reveals itself at once. The sound shifts. The pace slows. Colour appears suddenly — from bougainvillea to layers of seasonal flowers.
This is not an incidental garden, but a perivoj — a composed landscape with a clear structure, softened by the density and spontaneity of Mediterranean planting. At its centre stands a stone fountain, surrounded by planted islands that organise the space and give it rhythm.
Palms, cypresses, roses and flowering vines create a living composition that changes throughout the year. In spring, when the wisteria blooms, the garden takes on a different presence — its shade, scent and colour defining the moment.
Water is constant. Butterflies move through the space.
Shade, light and planting shape how the garden is experienced — not as a single
surface, but as a sequence of distinct places. Each table holds a different perspective, a slightly different atmosphere.
Lunch settles into the afternoon, carried by light, shade and the quiet rhythm of the garden.
Dinner forms differently — as the light softens and the garden shifts into a quieter rhythm. The space remains open, yet each table holds a sense of intimacy, shaped by the presence of the fountain, the surrounding garden, and the distance between moments.
It is a setting that allows for both conversation and pause — shared, yet personal.
Design and Art
The present-day interior does not replicate the past. It enters into dialogue with it.
Secession architecture meets bold colour, contemporary materials and a Memphis-influenced design language. The project, developed by Studio 502 in collaboration with architect Katja Stubnja, works through contrast — not to disrupt the villa, but to extend it into the present.
The project has been internationally recognised. Mokosh received the SBID International Design Excellence Award — one of the leading global design awards — and was selected for the longlist of the Dezeen Awards. It has also been recognised by the British Institute of Interior Design, placing it within a wider contemporary design context.
Art is not an addition, but a central layer of the space. Works by Jelena Bando and sculptural pieces by Marko Gašparić and Ivica Gašparić are integrated into the interior, shaping its atmosphere and reinforcing the dialogue between architecture, design and expression.
The result is a composition where each element is considered — precise, layered and open.
At Mokosh, the villa and the garden are not a backdrop. They shape the way time is spent.
What was once a private home, a crafted landscape and a place of gathering continues in a different form — still defined by people, by food and by the moments shared around the table.