It sounds like a challenging task: to transform a 1930s house into a home for a family of three, preserving its original character while creating more space and linearity. The ground floor was to be opened up during the renovation work, a cloakroom with plenty of storage space was to be created, and the kitchen with adjoining dining area was to be enlarged and opened up. After the renovation, the new design was to contrast with the existing structure in a modern and purist way. Darmstadt-based interior designer Ulrike Behr succeeded in realising these wishes.

The interior designer first redesigned the floor plan by opening up certain areas and removing sections of wall. This had extremely appealing results: she discovered wooden supports and beams, which she exposed and incorporated into the design concept. On the one hand, this meant that the character of the house remained visible thanks to the original wooden construction, and on the other hand, it ensured that newly added elements such as cupboards and kitchen fittings created a productive tension with the old features. The demolition of parts of the walls also opened up the space for the large open-plan kitchen with adjoining living-dining area, and the once cramped entrance gave way to a spacious foyer. The lavish bathroom on the ground floor was converted into a smaller bathroom, creating additional space for the missing cloakroom with plenty of storage space. Access to the basement was also optimised by removing partition walls.
But it is not only the changes to the floor plan that enhance the flair of the new old house: the restoration of the original wooden staircase has transformed what was previously just a connecting element between floors back into the heart of the house, and the terrazzo floor has been refurbished to create an expressive floor covering. In the remaining living areas, solid oak floorboards replace the various floors that had been added over the past decades. Now, the 30 cm wide floorboards, which have also been levelled to a consistent height, create a warm atmosphere on both floors and enhance the transitions between rooms. The custom-made cupboards, shelves and storage spaces, as well as a bench and dining table in the kitchen, are perfectly matched and coordinated. Here, too, the choice fell on solid oak and lacquered medium-density fibreboard.

www.behr-raumkonzepte.de

Photography Credits:

Gregor Pfitzer
www.gregor-pfitzer.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 04|21)