Wilhelminian-era buildings with their gracious residential apartments are plentiful in Berlin, yet they were designed for a lifestyle quite different from today's needs. Architects Lemme Locke Lux from Berlin were tasked with modernizing a 130 m² apartment in one of these 1910 Wilmersdorf buildings. What they found was a dysfunctional floor plan: a "Berlin room" serving as a thoroughfare between living spaces, a kitchen relegated to the back, and a dark hallway cutting off the main living area.

The designers developed a concept that meets contemporary living requirements. Nearly the entire spatial arrangement was redesigned: In the central area, where the "Berliner Zimmer" once stood, the kitchen and dining area are now located. This fundamental approach naturally gave rise to a clear, dynamic spatial sequence. The living room and two additional rooms—whose function can be determined as needed—along with a bathroom are positioned in front of the kitchen when viewed from the central area. A spacious bedroom and another bathroom are situated behind the kitchen. A key principle of the concept was to introduce as much natural light as possible into the interior, which the open spatial configuration successfully achieved. This first crucial transformation was followed by a second—contemporary interior design: To give the open living landscape a structural backbone, a 15-meter-long built-in furniture unit was custom-designed. It delineates the central area from the surrounding spaces while providing substantial storage. Carefully selected color accents in shades of "icy blue," "whispering green," and vibrant orange appear in the bathroom, kitchen, and on certain room walls. The valuable solid wood herringbone parquet was partially original to the apartment and was restored and supplemented as needed. The original decorative wooden doors and sash windows, featuring beautiful Art Nouveau elements and hardware, were similarly preserved. Plastic windows on the courtyard side were replaced with new wooden windows. All unused original materials were donated to a dealer specializing in historical building materials. The new kitchen cabinet fronts are finished with high-quality colored HPL (high-pressure laminate), while bathroom tiles were replaced with Italian ceramics. The numerous built-in furniture pieces maximize the available space and create an atmosphere of orderly calm throughout the apartment. Despite extensive interventions and this comprehensive renovation, the apartment retained its original character and charm.

www.lemmelockelux.de

Photos:
Maja Wirkus
www.majawirkus.com

(Published in CUBE Berlin 03|24)