In renovating Villa Hochschild, interior designer Jan Leithäuser has masterfully navigated a delicate balance. As both designer and client, he achieved far more than simply bringing living, working, and residential functions under one roof—he created a compelling dialogue between the villa's architectural heritage and contemporary design. Art Deco elements meet cubic, space-defining extensions in a thoughtful interplay of periods. The villa is an architectural treasure by Karl Plattner, who designed it as a summer residence for the Frankfurt banking family Hochschild within the Taunusblick villa colony, established in 1904, completing construction in 1912. The building had last undergone renovation in the 1950s.

Though the villa lacks official heritage protection—its original construction documents were lost during the war—Leithäuser has thoughtfully preserved its architectural character, inside and out. The garden-facing façade received enlarged windows through careful coordination with heritage authorities. To achieve his vision of a "charming place of stylistic elegance," he restored all existing interior elements: wood paneling, stucco ceilings, and more. Every new element—from the kitchen and dining room sideboard to the hallway console, bedroom furnishings, and master bath fixtures—represents his own design vision.

The sophisticated material and color palette—intentionally bridging past and present—draws from lacquered and wooden finishes like smoked oak, understated natural stone, jewel-toned walls in petrol blue and warm Egyptian earth, sumptuous velvet fabrics, and brass lighting and fixtures. This era-spanning concept anchors itself in a striking Brazilian hardstone kitchen block and is enriched through carefully curated furnishings from Wittmann, Vitra, and ClassiCon. The result achieves its atmospheric depth through an interplay of classic and contemporary artworks, cherished family pieces, and thoughtfully selected design objects spanning the past century.

www.janleithaeuser.de

Photography Credits:

Jan Leithäuser

(Featured in CUBE Frankfurt 03|22)