Before and After: Transforming a 260 Sqft Apartment in Berlin
With huge windows, quality materials, and clever use of shared and private space, these tiny apartments live large
Architect Walter Gropius once said that one should never be afraid of making rooms smaller and windows bigger. Bettina Schneuer thought of these words often during the renovation of two micro-apartments in the Charlottenburg neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany. In this case she was both the owner and the interior designer, and acted on the pleasure principle in the best possible way: “So far I have always bought what I liked, never out of strategic considerations, but always out of fondness.” It is her fondness for late 19th-century Willhelmine architecture, as well as for classic materials and modern built-in components, that led her to create these sensational apartments in 260 square feet (24 square meters).
Before she undertook the renovation of the two mini-apartments in Charlottenburg last year, Schneuer had already renovated six other properties, including her own home. “Basically, I have always bought charming dumps in beautiful places with the intention of renovating them as I please.”
She is always happy to work alongside Raspé. “At first we were landlady and tenant, then owner and architect. All this played a role in establishing our friendship.”
This is the entry hall of the building in Charlottenburg where these two micro-apartments are located. The renovation of the common areas, entrances and corridors was handled by Schneuer’s friends, artists Claus and Susanne Rottenbacher, who owned an apartment and a shop in the house at that time. “[They] managed the process and really put a lot of effort in, even in the courtyard garden. Awesome – and unfortunately rare in owners’ associations,” Schneuer says.
See photos of the second mini-apartment.
She is always happy to work alongside Raspé. “At first we were landlady and tenant, then owner and architect. All this played a role in establishing our friendship.”
This is the entry hall of the building in Charlottenburg where these two micro-apartments are located. The renovation of the common areas, entrances and corridors was handled by Schneuer’s friends, artists Claus and Susanne Rottenbacher, who owned an apartment and a shop in the house at that time. “[They] managed the process and really put a lot of effort in, even in the courtyard garden. Awesome – and unfortunately rare in owners’ associations,” Schneuer says.
See photos of the second mini-apartment.
“Before” photos from Bettina Schneuer
BEFORE: Views from the dwarf-apartments into the common areas show the condition of the rooms after gutting.
BEFORE: Views from the dwarf-apartments into the common areas show the condition of the rooms after gutting.
Schneuer’s mini-apartments are in the building at the back of the courtyard, directly above one another on the ground and second floors.
AFTER: Where there was once a communal washroom on the ground-floor hall, Schneuer placed a 16-square-foot (1.5-square-metre) laundry room with a top-loading washer-dryer for the use of the two tenants as well as the owner of the apartment above, who is a friend of the family. “As every centimetre counts in here, such communal spaces are really practical,” Schneuer says.
Another restroom between the first and second floors has become a storeroom for cleaning supplies that also houses a vacuum cleaner, ironing board and kitchenware such as baking pans, a blender and fondue paraphernalia, while there is a space for storing suitcases under a flight of stairs. “All the small rooms got small new windows and black tiles,” she says.
Another restroom between the first and second floors has become a storeroom for cleaning supplies that also houses a vacuum cleaner, ironing board and kitchenware such as baking pans, a blender and fondue paraphernalia, while there is a space for storing suitcases under a flight of stairs. “All the small rooms got small new windows and black tiles,” she says.
BEFORE: Schneuer was drawn to the well-proportioned compactness of the mini-apartments: “I like small rooms. The Tiny House Movement fascinates me and I am sure that in the future living in small spaces will play an increasingly important role in metropolises, with many exciting ideas like, for example, spaces for communal use. [As Gropius said] at the Werkbund Exhibition in 1929: ‘enlarge the windows, reduce the rooms.’”
AFTER: The renovated apartment has three main zones, which include a kitchenette, built-in closets and a walk-in shower.
“The smaller the space, the more you have to think ahead,” Schneuer says. “The first room does triple duty as a kitchen, entrance and a cloak room.”
Schneuer moved the living room wall three inches (eight centimetres) inwards to accommodate three kitchen cabinet units. A new oak parquet replaced the old boards, which had been damaged by water. “With the small square footage, it had to be something particularly high quality.”
Schneuer moved the living room wall three inches (eight centimetres) inwards to accommodate three kitchen cabinet units. A new oak parquet replaced the old boards, which had been damaged by water. “With the small square footage, it had to be something particularly high quality.”
Despite its compactness, the unit creates a completely self-contained kitchen, designed in monochrome colours. The 28-inch (72-centimetre) countertop is extra deep to allow for more storage space. There are two built-in induction plates, and an extra hot plate is stowed in the cupboard.
Kitchen cabinets: Tingsryd, Ikea; salt and pepper shakers: Mohawk, Jonathan Adler
Kitchen cabinets: Tingsryd, Ikea; salt and pepper shakers: Mohawk, Jonathan Adler
Before moving in, the tenants were given a questionnaire and were able to tick off features they wanted, like a dishwasher or a TV. One former tenant, a biologist at Charité, Berlin’s university hospital, got this mini dishwasher by Bomann placed under the sink. “I chose this model mainly because it has the control panel at the top, which makes it much more user-friendly,” Schneuer says.
Table Dishwasher: TSG 707, Bomann
Table Dishwasher: TSG 707, Bomann
Before getting down to furnishing, Schneuer invited several design-savvy friends over to talk about colours, furniture and the right place for the picture wall. Lighting artist Susanne Rottenbacher – the friend who had managed the restoration of the semi-public areas of the house along with her husband – had the idea of creating this picture wall out of works of art found on eBay or at markets.
Bed: Ikea; throw blanket: hand-knitted from African wool in a North African chessboard pattern by an elderly lady from the neighbourhood – who has since passed away – whose husband was an ambassador to a North African nation.
Bed: Ikea; throw blanket: hand-knitted from African wool in a North African chessboard pattern by an elderly lady from the neighbourhood – who has since passed away – whose husband was an ambassador to a North African nation.
Besides exchanging ideas with other people, Schneuer gets her inspiration from books, AD and Houzz. “I think your platform is really on the mark with important topics. I think it’s great how many tiny-home projects with great ideas you can find there.”
Schneuer says that the Tapiovaara-like chairs came from a garage sale in Hamburg, and have since been revarnished.
BEFORE: Besides the apartments’ great location between the Kurfürstendamm shopping street and trendy Savignyplatz, what especially appealed to Schneuer were the large windows that face the inner courtyard.
Adhering to Gropius’ ideals, they are crucial to creating a generous sense of space within minimal dimensions. Even before the renovation they gleamed with potential. They offer a view to the courtyard garden, which was newly arranged in mid-May. “In 2004 there was a student competition on planting and rearrangement, and the winning design will be revived now, after the renovation of the garden,” Schneuer says.
AFTER: The windows in the large room were reworked.
Opposite the sofa bed there is now a newly erected wall with two equal-sized, flush concealed doors. “The doors were different sizes before. That is something I really hate,” Schneuer says.
There is room for two people at the metal and mango-wood console table …
Console table: Metropolis, Maisons du Monde
There is room for two people at the metal and mango-wood console table …
Console table: Metropolis, Maisons du Monde
… especially when it is placed with its narrow end to the wall and used as a dining corner. The closet wall system behind it in this image comes from Ikea and is actually designed for bedrooms. Schneuer repurposed it into a discrete, multifunctional storage space, in found-object fashion. “[It] was one of the most important ideas: Keeping the floor free [since the closets are hung so high on the wall] creates the suggestion of width.”
Closet system: Pax, about 14 inces (35 centimeters) deep, Ikea
Closet system: Pax, about 14 inces (35 centimeters) deep, Ikea
Schneuer found the leather loops on Etsy.
Carefully selected accessories make the space more comfortable. Schneuer says she has a vase-collecting problem, and therefore took great pleasure in accessorising the space. “My home is full of vases. Here I have restrained myself a little, but someday I will have a vintage vase shop, that’s for sure.” The white vases come from her mother and a friend. The vintage Plexiglas rack was bought on eBay.
BEFORE: Before the renovation, the bathroom had a corner 27½-by-27½-inch (70-by-70-centimetre) shower cabin that was “only suitable for people with ideal physiques.”
AFTER: Schneuer had a 4½-foot-wide (1.40-metre-wide) walk-in shower installed and adorned with mint-coloured glass tiles for brightness. Besides that, she placed the toilet under the window, so it is no longer the first thing one sees when entering the room – a point that was important to her.
Schneuer is very pleased that the bathroom has a window, “because bathrooms with natural light are rare in studios.” Because the original window was too long to accommodate the toilet tank in its new place, a new one was put in.
Toilet tank: Omega, Geberit
Schneuer is very pleased that the bathroom has a window, “because bathrooms with natural light are rare in studios.” Because the original window was too long to accommodate the toilet tank in its new place, a new one was put in.
Toilet tank: Omega, Geberit
Before making each decision, Schneuer first asked herself whether it is how she would want to live herself. “Every built-in and installed element is as high in quality as it is durable. I do not like cheap solutions – cheap is the new expensive,” she says, as cheap products wear out quickly and must constantly be replaced, making them more expensive in the long run. “Such a small apartment really comes alive thanks to good materials. Then Ikea and H&M Home also work alongside that.”
The new, extremely slim heater occupies very little space.
Sink: Alape, heater: Koso by Sebastian
The new, extremely slim heater occupies very little space.
Sink: Alape, heater: Koso by Sebastian
Of course, Schneuer also had her sons in the back of her mind while she was at work. “The older is 16, the younger 13. In a few years they will want to move out,” she says. The older one is more interested in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood, where he meets up with his skater friends. “The younger one is currently very interested in the upper mini-apartment. He and a friend have already agreed that they want to move into these two apartments and live here as housemates.” Surely, a sign of good taste.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: One tenant
Location: Grolmanstraße, in the Charlottenburg neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany
Size: 260 square feet (24 square metres)
Interior Designer: Bettina Schneuer
Born in Hamburg, Schneuer fell into interior design by chance. She initially studied law and then worked as a university assistant, before applying to the Henri Nannen school of journalism. After graduating she worked for years as a journalist and editor in German publications, including at interior design magazine AD Architectural Digest.
“Finally, I had found something that made me happy,” she says. That fun, that joy, has to this day remained a fundamental motif in her work. She is what might be called an “information sponge:” Awake and present, she is a sophisticated intellectual with a Berlin attitude, for whom it is love that bridges work and professional fulfilment. The keyword is fondness: for old architecture, for beautiful design and for capable people.
Schneuer’s first interior design light-bulb moment came in 1999 when she moved to Berlin from Hamburg. Her then-landlady, architect Caroline Raspé, took her into her modernised Wilhelmine apartment with its open walls, new bathrooms and wide-open kitchen.