ALTBAU APARTMENT || This Berlin Altbau Apartment Embodies the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Charlottenburg is a noble Berlin district associated with the stability and affluence of the German bourgeoisie.
Before the fall of the Wall, it served as the city's most representative district with the famous Ku'damm - the atmosphere of that time and Charlottenburg's main representative street is perfectly captured in the series of the same title.
Today, the district is slowly changing: the area around Kantstrasse is Berlin's Chinatown, with its plethora of oriental pubs, bars and karaoke clubs. For the past two decades, the district has seen a steady increase in the number of monumental skyscrapers, which until now were not associated with Berlin. However, one thing has not changed: if you dream of living in a turn-of-the-century building, the most beautiful examples of so-called Altbau are to be found here.
The homeowners of the Altbau apartment have always dreamed of living in this type of building. Although they both come from South Korea, they fell in love with Berlin townhouses at first sight. The opportunity arose last year when they could buy one of the flats in the renovated 1893 building directly from the developer that renovated the whole building.
The living room displays Warhol's famous series of serigraphs depicting Marilyn Monroe.
The owners from South Korea have lived in Berlin for years and chose the city for its rich art and music scene. The investor is a painter but also a collector of contemporary art. On the other hand, her husband, a music producer, collects electric guitars and vinyls. Both of these quite extensive collections required an appropriate amount of space. The flat is 280 metres long, and its renovation and interior design, undertaken by Agi Kuczyńska - an interior designer living in Berlin for five years - required taking these functions into account and reinscribing them into the existing fabric of the flat.
Designing the interior also required some difficult renovation decisions: the previous owner, a developer, had made several changes which had to be reversed in order to restore the flat's former character. In addition, the flat has an L-shape and four rooms in an amphilade.
The living room is the focal point of the interior.
The spacious, sunny living room that is open to the kitchen and connected to the dining room as well as to the music room is the focal point of the interior design. Here, Warhol's famous series of serigraphs depicting Marilyn Monroe are displayed. The vibrant colours of the pop art master's work contrast with the minimalist interior, dominated by the Camaleonda B&B Italia sofa designed by Mario Bellini and ClassiCon Bell coffee tables. On the other hand, the interior's eclectic character is further accentuated by the white vintage Murano glass chandelier, which gives the living room a slightly frivolous and eccentric character to match the owner's artistic soul.
In the part of the living room leading to the kitchen, Agi Kuczyńska designed a custom-made library by the Polish company VIP Studio, which houses her favourite contemporary art albums and film collection.
We move from the living room to the kitchen, kept in a minimalist style and entirely furnished to order by German manufacturer Sie Matic.
The minimalist kitchen features a uniform colour palette.
The music room is a separate space in the flat, which complements the living room - where art and music dominate. In the music room, discreet, custom-made cabinets conceal several thousand vinyl records and the sideboard bench under the window houses high-quality speakers for seasoned audiophiles. Everything in this interior is conducive to contemplation: comfortable Cassina chairs designed by Pierre Jeanneret from the Capitol Complex collection and an openwork chandelier by French brand Screen XXL, as well as works of art from the owner's collection.
Comfortable Cassina chairs in the music room make listening sessions even more enjoyable.
The owner's kingdom is a separate dressing room, which was also a design challenge - it was designed for the exact number of dresses, shoes and handbags of the painter, who is also fascinated by contemporary fashion. Highlighted and exposed, the clothes and accessories look like part of a collection straight out of the V&A museum in London. Above the whole is the striking vintage Poliedri chandelier by the master of Italian design, the legendary designer Carlo Scarpa.
The redesigned private bathroom is spacious with bespoke furniture in a hot chocolate colour.
The glass enclosed shower has an illuminated shower niche for clutter-free storage.
Directly from the dressing room, we enter the private bathroom, which has been redesigned: the bathtub has been placed under the window, the ceramics have been replaced with Italian Cielo ceramics, the radiator has been replaced and the entire space has been decorated with Marazzi tiles. The result - an original, spacious and sunny shower room with discreet bespoke furniture in a hot chocolate colour.
The contrast to the private bathroom is the guest bathroom: here, the designer's efforts focused on the interior design based on the renovation carried out by the developer. Agi Kuczyńska enlivened the bathroom with yellow washbasins and a Cielo toilet and a custom-designed Gucci wallpaper lamp.
The designer adds a splash of colour and style with yellow washbasins and a Gucci wallpaper lamp in the guest bathroom.
Interestingly, although the owner is a painter, her own work can only be seen in the bedroom, which is dominated by a Matrimonio bed from Tuffy Time collection by B&B Italia and a bespoke wardrobe and designer travertine tables. Perhaps this is because her own work holds a more intimate connection which is why it’s showcased only in the private retreat that is the bedroom.
Although only the old parquet floors have survived from the original interior and the stucco only survives in the bedroom, the architect has managed to recreate the atmosphere of a spacious Altbau, which combines noble bourgeois beauty with eclectic postmodernity: Italian and French vintage classics combined with contemporary furniture by well-known designers. The result? The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie.
PROJECT DETAILS
Design: Agi Kuczynska-TAKK Studio | Instagram
Completion date: 2021
Location: Berlin, Germany
Area: 280 m2
Project Type: Total refurbishment and interior design, design of bespoke furniture
Photography: Nate Cook
