This 355-Square-Foot Berlin Studio Inside the "Giraffe Building" Defies its 1950s Bones

"We literally removed everything that wasn't original: seven layers of wallpaper, salmon-colored speckled vinyl flooring, and a 1990s kitchen. The goal was to give the illusion of more space, but the whole process was incredibly impractical."

"After living with unfinished floors for almost a year (and never being able to take our shoes off because of the dust), that was the first priority. We installed a dark red linoleum, which was also used in the Bauhaus library in Dessau. Until the stainless-steel kitchen was ready, we cooked with small makeshift appliances-like Leonie's great-grandparents' mobile electric stove from the 1970s, which we actually still use it today."

"That's the advantage of not having much space: In the end, there aren't that many choices to make. We quickly found a place for everything. The devil is in the details, and we racked our brains over many small items for a long time. The Vitsœ shelving, for example, is mostly new, but one of the wooden drawers is vintage. The curtain is a special design by Studio Azur in Marseille. We even put a lot of thought into which electrical sockets we wanted."

"Through our other projects in the neighborhood, like Grotto and Café Tiergarten, we've been able to expand our living space, at least in a figurative sense. We have temporary spaces for objects that we don't have room for at home."

Everything not original was removed, including multiple wallpaper layers, salmon-colored speckled vinyl flooring, and a 1990s kitchen, to create the illusion of more space. After living with unfinished floors for almost a year, a dark red linoleum was installed, inspired by Bauhaus use in Dessau. While waiting for a stainless-steel kitchen, cooking relied on a mobile electric stove from the 1970s that is still used today. Limited space reduced decision-making, but required long attention to small items, including mixed vintage and new storage elements, custom curtains, and careful selection of electrical sockets. Small extravagances remain manageable within budget. Community projects like Grotto and Café Tiergarten provide temporary space for objects and help introduce the neighborhood to others.

Read at Architectural Digest