The project is located in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin in an "Alt Bau" (old traditional building) and went over complete renovation. The apartment (82m) had a problematic layout and one very robust wall. Trying to do as much as possible with not alot of money, the design process started with careful examination of the existing materials and systems in order to maximise the space and using its “natural beauty” to de ne it without too many added costs.
Turning an obstacle into a potential, that wall was exposed with all its roughness, decorated only with the signs of time. The productive- creative spaces of the apartment were ultimately revolved around it. The act of exposure started a dialogue between the old and the new, the past and the present and re ected the situation of the house (close to the Berlin wall path) and the family. Other originals elements were treated the same ( oor, doors, door knobs...). Doors were exposed, repainted and inlaid with vitrage art (by an artist in Israel). The original wooden oor was restored and treated with oil, allowing it “breathe” while protecting it. The tenants are a couple with their daughter and a dog. The young family migrated from the warm, lighten city of Tel Aviv and are used to a di erent way of space usage. And so the old apartment received a new, light, more open layout. The oor was painted white to increase the light coming inside, furnitures layer was made light and bright to bring a bit of the Tel Aviv young freshness to complete the old traditional, natural character of the original infrastructure and elements of the Berliner apartment.
Bathroom was planned much smaller then the original one, which made it easier to moderate the costs of designing it as well as saving costs and use of energy once heating it during the winter time. Furnitures as the dining chairs were carefully collected from 2nd hand ( ebay, 2nd hand stores) and others as the dining table and light were purchased in small shops in the near area of the apartment. The o ce, shelves and stools were designed by the designer and manufactured by a carpenter. The co ee table in the living room was created by the designer in the spirit of the project using an wood surface that was found in the street. Some visual elements as pictures (old view of the streets in Tel Aviv in its earlier times) and vitrage were brought from Tel Aviv.
