Exposed Plaster Becomes the Hero of This Flat's Design
Plywood and unfinished plaster make up a raw, industrial look in this Berlin apartment
Catherine Hug
22 February 2019
“An absolute mess.” These are the words interior designer Christian Skeide uses to describe the original condition of this apartment in the trendy Kreuzberg neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany. He and the owners created a spacious new kitchen and brought out a hidden gem: Beautiful plasterwork that had been hidden under a false ceiling. The kitchen’s raw aesthetic is a powerful contrast to the new bathroom, which has been designed as a massive black box.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Two housemates
Location: Berlin, Germany
Size: The kitchen is about 37 square metres (398 square feet) in an about 85-square-metre (915-square-foot) apartment
Expert: Christian Skeide of Zentralnorden
Starting point
Dropped ceilings, a semicircular bathroom and a tube-like hallway – neither the layout nor the condition of the old apartment fit the owners’ needs. “They wanted to open up the living space, but the ‘how’ was still unclear. So, we worked together to conceive a completely new layout: From the five rooms, including the kitchen and bathroom, we made a four-room apartment and rethought the functions of the rooms,” Skeide says.
They tore down the wall between the hallway and the living room to create more space. A new white-oiled pine floor from the neighbouring state of Brandenburg enhances this effect and brings the newly created space together. The formerly semicircular bathroom was completely demolished and rebuilt in the same place in a new form – as a black box.
Who lives here: Two housemates
Location: Berlin, Germany
Size: The kitchen is about 37 square metres (398 square feet) in an about 85-square-metre (915-square-foot) apartment
Expert: Christian Skeide of Zentralnorden
Starting point
Dropped ceilings, a semicircular bathroom and a tube-like hallway – neither the layout nor the condition of the old apartment fit the owners’ needs. “They wanted to open up the living space, but the ‘how’ was still unclear. So, we worked together to conceive a completely new layout: From the five rooms, including the kitchen and bathroom, we made a four-room apartment and rethought the functions of the rooms,” Skeide says.
They tore down the wall between the hallway and the living room to create more space. A new white-oiled pine floor from the neighbouring state of Brandenburg enhances this effect and brings the newly created space together. The formerly semicircular bathroom was completely demolished and rebuilt in the same place in a new form – as a black box.
The renovation
Removing the dropped ceiling exposed the natural beauty of the apartment’s plaster. “Contractors we spoke to couldn’t understand why we wanted to leave the plaster untreated. So, we decided to take the task on ourselves, together with the owners,” Skeide says. “We were lucky that, with some effort and patience, we managed to wash off the old paint.”
Confused between cement plaster vs gypsum plaster?
Removing the dropped ceiling exposed the natural beauty of the apartment’s plaster. “Contractors we spoke to couldn’t understand why we wanted to leave the plaster untreated. So, we decided to take the task on ourselves, together with the owners,” Skeide says. “We were lucky that, with some effort and patience, we managed to wash off the old paint.”
Confused between cement plaster vs gypsum plaster?
The kitchen
But that wasn’t the only time the owners got their hands dirty: They worked closely with Skeide to design the kitchen and built it themselves. “These are Ikea kitchen cabinets, covered with oiled maritime pine boards,” Skeide says. Only the white Corian countertop was made by a craftsman, who tailored it to the finished kitchen. The owners decided against a visible backsplash, opting instead for a clear painted strip that seals the wall surface above the countertop.
But that wasn’t the only time the owners got their hands dirty: They worked closely with Skeide to design the kitchen and built it themselves. “These are Ikea kitchen cabinets, covered with oiled maritime pine boards,” Skeide says. Only the white Corian countertop was made by a craftsman, who tailored it to the finished kitchen. The owners decided against a visible backsplash, opting instead for a clear painted strip that seals the wall surface above the countertop.
Skeide describes the project as a creative “ping-pong game,” in which he was in charge of all the phases of work from the initial idea to site supervision.
Charming details like the retro faucet and Bakelit switches in the kitchen testify to the attention to detail involved: “The owners found it … at a junk dealer in Neukölln [another Berlin neighbourhood],” he says. The refrigerator handle was also a found object: “This is a branch that had been lying around in the apartment for years, and it was bent in such a cool way, so we simply painted it black and used it as a handle,” he says.
Charming details like the retro faucet and Bakelit switches in the kitchen testify to the attention to detail involved: “The owners found it … at a junk dealer in Neukölln [another Berlin neighbourhood],” he says. The refrigerator handle was also a found object: “This is a branch that had been lying around in the apartment for years, and it was bent in such a cool way, so we simply painted it black and used it as a handle,” he says.
The floor space of the new kitchen grew from 25 square metres (270 square feet) to 37 square meters (398 square feet).
Opposite the raw charm of the kitchen walls is a carefully restored set of doors, complemented by new skirting. It was hard for everyone, but especially the contractors, to refrain from repainting the walls. “You had to keep a close eye on people, otherwise a wall would have been painted before you knew it,” Skeide says.
These kitchens maximise space, storage and light
Opposite the raw charm of the kitchen walls is a carefully restored set of doors, complemented by new skirting. It was hard for everyone, but especially the contractors, to refrain from repainting the walls. “You had to keep a close eye on people, otherwise a wall would have been painted before you knew it,” Skeide says.
These kitchens maximise space, storage and light
The owners found the old muntin window in the bathroom at an antique building materials dealer. The milk-glass window serves as an additional atmospheric light source for the bathroom and kitchen.
Learn about the different types of glass
Learn about the different types of glass
A subtle industrial style also prevails in the bathroom. The masonry was partly painted and partly covered with grey tadelakt for a silky and shiny look. The owners designed the wood and soldered copper tubing for the vanity themselves, and “one of the owners did the actual work,” Skeide says. A white sink and fittings by Vola complete the ensemble.
Read more:
Bangalore Houzz: An Understated Elegance Defines This Contemporary Home
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Read more:
Bangalore Houzz: An Understated Elegance Defines This Contemporary Home
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
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