Private residence northern Germany

A Gründerzeit building that leans towards modernity: With an appreciation for detail, blocher partners’ interior designers have renovated and restored a landmarked single family home for a private client in northern Germany. Through the interplay between various disciplines and high-quality materials, the designers have created a place that combines subtle grandeur with a touch of days long gone.

Spacious yet cosy, elegant yet modern: The conversion of a Wilhelminian-style building, carefully planned down to the last detail, was never meant to divorce the structure from its past. Rather, modern and original elements were meant to work together to create an inviting atmosphere on a spacious 450-square-meters of living space. The designers accomplished this symbiosis through the careful restoration of individual elements, a harmonious unity of colour and materials, as well as a lighting design that gives each room its own identity.

The interior designers fulfilled their client’s wish that the building’s original character be highlighted, down to the smallest detail. Although the house was renovated from top to bottom, important original elements were preserved and restored. Some embellishments from interim decades were retained, while others were removed: Flooring that had been added was removed and replaced with herringbone parquet, natural stone and marble floors with checkerboard patterns. Later additions to the stucco were removed and the stairs and doors were restored.

The visitor is impressed from the outset by the vaulted entryway and cloakroom, as well as by the kitchen, with its freestanding work surface of natural stone and its furniture and accessories in muted tones. In the adjacent dining room and living area, carefully chosen, powdery colour accents complement the elegance of stucco and herringbone parquet. A large, marble-topped dining table and a landscape of sofas in light grey provide islands of peace and quiet as well as hubs for socializing. The atmosphere in the adjoining gentlemen's room – with its dark velvet curtains, an English Chesterfield sofa and a fireplace of natural stone and brass – is a touch more robust and masculine.

While the ground floor of this landmarked building is nearly unchanged, the floor plan on the upper storey has been completely redone: Where once there was a bath, there is now a children’s room. The parents’ bedroom and custom-made dressing area, which resembles a work of fine carpentry, were arranged in a connecting line. A bath for the children and a sauna were added. Depending on the weather and time of day, four different lighting schemes were developed for each room.

Complementing the high degree of detail in the interior design is a carefully curated furnishing concept, which blocher partners developed in close cooperation with the Stuttgart furnishing specialists Kampe54. They thought through everything, from the design of individual rooms to the selection of tableware patterns. Even the electrical outlets, door handles and light switches, which were hand-moulded in a factory in France, were deliberately chosen and reflect the client’s appreciation for handcrafted objects. The result is a harmonious interplay of various disciplines and materials, which can unfold their potential down to the minutest detail.