In this historic Berlin apartment, the challenge was to introduce a contemporary way of living without losing the character and proportions that make the original architecture so distinctive.

Rather than treating old and new as opposites, the design establishes a careful balance between them. Existing architectural qualities were preserved and strengthened, while new interventions were developed with a deliberately restrained language of materials, proportions and details.

The transformation required more than a visual response. The existing building presented considerable technical constraints, particularly in determining the position of the kitchen and bathrooms. Water supply and drainage could not simply be relocated wherever the new spatial concept required them.

A raised floor construction became a key part of the solution, allowing the necessary technical infrastructure to be reorganised while preserving the clarity of the architectural concept. This made it possible to position bathrooms and kitchen according to the logic of the new floor plan rather than allowing the limitations of the existing services to dictate the design.

Materiality played an equally important role. Natural stone, bespoke joinery and carefully selected surfaces were used to create a contemporary layer that feels confident but remains respectful of the historic setting.

Realising this level of detail required us to extend the project team beyond the locally available resources. For specialist elements that could not be delivered through the local construction management, we sourced and coordinated the required trades ourselves. This included the natural stone flooring and bathrooms as well as the complete bespoke interior fit-out, which was manufactured by specialist craftsmen in North Rhine-Westphalia and brought to Berlin for installation.

Coordinating these external specialists with the local construction process became an important part of maintaining the intended quality of the project. Design, technical planning, fabrication and installation had to remain closely aligned despite the geographical distance between the different teams.

The result is an interior in which the complexity of the transformation remains largely invisible. Technical interventions disappear beneath the architecture, bespoke elements become part of the rooms, and the distinction between historic fabric and contemporary additions feels deliberate rather than imposed.