The Mülheim suburb of Menden is a sought-after residential address. Bordering Essen-Kettwig and the green Ruhr Valley, the landscape offers a magnificent backdrop. The 1,830-metre-long and 65-metre-high Ruhr Valley Bridge spans the picturesque scene and can be seen from a viewpoint with park benches on the Mendener Höhe. Not far from there stands the detached house, which Düsseldorf interior designer Georg Müller transformed from a small house into a spacious domicile. Incidentally, there is also a connection to the Ruhr Valley Bridge: the bungalow was once built and inhabited by Prof. Dr. Ing. Erwin Jacobs, who, as a structural engineer and civil engineer, was significantly involved in the construction of the Ruhr Valley Bridge.

Before the complete renovation by a new owner, the interior designer commissioned with the conversion was presented with a picture typical of the period in which the house was built: the bungalow was divided into small rooms with equally small windows. Drastic changes were therefore necessary: the building was completely gutted except for the load-bearing elements in order to create an open and spacious new interior layout. The result is an open-plan living area with flowing transitions to the central kitchen block, which is equipped with an integrated extractor fan. The adjoining dining area then transitions seamlessly into the living and entertainment area. Floor-to-ceiling windows now allow plenty of light into the interior and give the room a modern look. They also open up a magnificent view across the entire ground floor, beyond the terrace and into the spacious sloping garden.

The interior designer countered the low ceiling height, which is low by today's standards, with an eye-catching feature that fulfils several functions. The generously proportioned transitions between the individual room zones on the ground floor are complemented by a custom-designed slatted ceiling in the living area. Both create a visual extension and make the room appear higher. At the same time, the flush-mounted slatted ceiling has another precisely planned technical background: it has an excellent effect on the room acoustics. As an absorber, it reduces the reverberation time and also acts as a diffuser. Incoming sound waves are therefore reflected differently and distributed more evenly throughout the room. This ensures a much better "sound quality" in the room.

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(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 02|20)