Houzz Tour: Walls Come Down So an Apartment Can See the Light
A redistribution of space and a new color scheme turn a dreary former doctor’s office in Germany into a comfortable home
The rooms of this former doctor’s office in Hamburg, Germany, were cramped, and the complicated layout had already deterred potential buyers. Interior architect Clara Zachariassen and her husband, however, spotted the apartment’s potential right away and set to work to transform this problematic space into their cozy place.
Before. The apartment suffered from an awkward layout and a lack of color.
In addition to opening up the spaces, Zachariassen gave them strong color accents. Once white, the windowless entryway is now visually divided from the living space by its black walls (they appear lighter in the photo) and ceiling.
The black walls are a stark contrast to the otherwise bright spaces. “In here it goes from dark to light,” says Zachariassen about her concept for the space.
What Goes With Black Walls?
The black walls are a stark contrast to the otherwise bright spaces. “In here it goes from dark to light,” says Zachariassen about her concept for the space.
What Goes With Black Walls?
An elevator leads directly into the apartment. Zachariassen and her husband live in the completed wing to the right of the elevator. The guest wing, still to be renovated, is straight ahead and to the left.
The windows in the open living area face southeast and west. The couple eat, cook, work and relax in this 786-square-foot space.
The dining table is an Eiermann frame with a simple white top. The chairs around it are solid wood. “I think solid-wood furniture is beautiful. It lasts,” Zachariassen says. She is particularly fond of furniture from the ’50s and ’60s and enjoys combining it with more modern pieces.
The dining table is an Eiermann frame with a simple white top. The chairs around it are solid wood. “I think solid-wood furniture is beautiful. It lasts,” Zachariassen says. She is particularly fond of furniture from the ’50s and ’60s and enjoys combining it with more modern pieces.
The kitchen is opposite the dining table. It had previously been a separate room. “We got rid of the walls, knocked down the tiles and redid the floor,” Zachariassen says.
Beneath the tiles they found a pink concrete wall, which still had old contractors’ notes scribbled on it. “After this surprise, I changed my choice of material for the kitchen and had surface-mounted copper pipes installed without further ado,” she says.
Beneath the tiles they found a pink concrete wall, which still had old contractors’ notes scribbled on it. “After this surprise, I changed my choice of material for the kitchen and had surface-mounted copper pipes installed without further ado,” she says.
Before. Zachariassen and her husband lived in the apartment during the renovation. A plastic sheet separated the kitchen from the rest of the house.
“We did some things ourselves since my husband enjoys it, but we could not completely replace professional workers,” Zachariassen says. They hired professionals for the electrical and drywall work.
Find a home professional to help with your project
“We did some things ourselves since my husband enjoys it, but we could not completely replace professional workers,” Zachariassen says. They hired professionals for the electrical and drywall work.
Find a home professional to help with your project
The custom kitchen countertop is beech treated with colored oil. The peninsula separating the kitchen from the living area widens toward the dining table and marks the place where the wall used to be. Its light gray tile finish emphasizes this transition, as does the difference between the living area’s wood floor and the kitchen’s plastered, sanded and sealed concrete floor.
Before. The living room was dim and full of corners.
The interior designer painted one wall of the living area in Tanner’s Brown by Farrow & Ball. The Maralunga sofa by Cassina and a colorful rug that’s about 10 by 13 feet add warmth. “We rediscovered the rug in the basement,” Zachariassen says. “My parents had inherited it from the previous tenants of a home they had lived in, in the ’70s. It’s a real Persian rug made of wool.”
Browse Oriental-style wool rugs
Browse Oriental-style wool rugs
A bookcase from USM complements the decor.
A workspace faces one window (not pictured). The owners like living, eating, cooking and working in one room, even if this arrangement could be somewhat distracting. “The ceiling is not that high. We also have a rug and lots of upholstered furniture. There are no acoustic problems, and we have an extractor hood in the kitchen so cooking smells do not spread. We love cooking with friends, working together and hosting parties,” Zachariassen says.
A workspace faces one window (not pictured). The owners like living, eating, cooking and working in one room, even if this arrangement could be somewhat distracting. “The ceiling is not that high. We also have a rug and lots of upholstered furniture. There are no acoustic problems, and we have an extractor hood in the kitchen so cooking smells do not spread. We love cooking with friends, working together and hosting parties,” Zachariassen says.
A salon of sorts separates the kitchen-living area from the bathroom and bedroom. It is used for getting dressed and for overwintering plants that stay out on the balconies during the warmer months. It is decorated with heirlooms, flea market finds and pieces bought at auctions. “For us this room is a simple green salon,” Zachariassen says.
She made sure that the rooms’ paint colors — all from Farrow & Ball — go well together because the rooms are visible from and flow into one another when the interior doors are open.
She made sure that the rooms’ paint colors — all from Farrow & Ball — go well together because the rooms are visible from and flow into one another when the interior doors are open.
The salon leads to the bedroom. The flooring here, as in most of the apartment, is oiled oak.
“The dropped ceiling in the bedroom is soothing,” Zachariassen says. (It had been lowered by the previous owners to about 8 feet.) The IC light by Flos looks a bit like the moon against the deep blue background.
The fish above the bed have been with the owners for years. The fish are nailed to the wall individually, and Zachariassen and her husband occasionally rearrange them.
The fish above the bed have been with the owners for years. The fish are nailed to the wall individually, and Zachariassen and her husband occasionally rearrange them.
Opposite the bed, French doors lead to a small balcony. Like all the other balcony doors and windows in the apartment, they extend from the floor to the ceiling.
The disadvantage of such a design is that curtains can’t be hung normally. Zachariassen solved the problem by attaching curtain rods with custom curtains from hinges mounted on each side of the balcony doors.
The disadvantage of such a design is that curtains can’t be hung normally. Zachariassen solved the problem by attaching curtain rods with custom curtains from hinges mounted on each side of the balcony doors.
The owners kept the bathroom mostly the same. “The inside bathroom was already there and in good condition. For the time being, I have only fine-tuned it a bit,” Zachariassen says. This included painting the walls rust red above the tile, replacing the mirror and exchanging the vanity pulls.
How to Refresh Your Bathroom on Any Budget
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How to Refresh Your Bathroom on Any Budget
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior architect Clara Zachariassen of Studio Plietsch and her husband
Location: Hoheluft district of Hamburg, Germany
Size: About 1,510 square feet (140 square meters)
“The apartment basically consists of two wings that have nothing to do with each other. When we visited, we immediately let our imaginations run wild,” Zachariassen says. They tore down walls to create larger spaces and bring more light into the rooms. “Fortunately it was all drywall, so it was not that difficult to break down walls,” she says.