Houzz Tour: Vintage Finds and Midcentury Style Transform an Old School
Midcentury classics and newer design pieces mingle effortlessly in this light, bright apartment that was once part of a language school
It’s hard to believe this ground-floor apartment in an off-street building in Berlin was once part of a labyrinthine language school, complete with claustrophobic classrooms. The rooms have become so bright and spacious since their transformation, no one would ever guess how they started out.
The owner enlisted the pros at Vintagency to help take care of everything, from tearing out walls and renovating the bathroom to choosing furniture and accessories.
The owner enlisted the pros at Vintagency to help take care of everything, from tearing out walls and renovating the bathroom to choosing furniture and accessories.
To the left is what looks like a long dining table, but is actually a conference table. The fact that this is not obvious is intentional: the apartment is designed to combine living and working, not separate them.
The old Bertoia chair has been reupholstered, and the sideboard is a Charlotte Perriand design. ‘We agreed to base the look on vintage furniture. You have to distinguish between expensive pieces, which are almost an investment like art, and lower-cost ones, which can be repainted and upgraded if required.’
Vintage yes, but not retro – you could call it a casual Berlin style. The mix includes items by less-well-known and emerging designers, such as the Tivoli lights by Simon Henningsen. ‘That is part of what makes Berlin great – the ability to reinvent yourself and create great new things with what is already there,’ Bona says.
Vintage Bertoia wire chair, reupholstered with Kvadrat fabric, Unique Factory. Table, made to measure by Benjamin Pistorius. Vintage sideboard, Charlotte Perriand. Tivoli pendant lights by Simon Henningsen from Original in Berlin.
See creative ways to use vintage pieces in your home
The old Bertoia chair has been reupholstered, and the sideboard is a Charlotte Perriand design. ‘We agreed to base the look on vintage furniture. You have to distinguish between expensive pieces, which are almost an investment like art, and lower-cost ones, which can be repainted and upgraded if required.’
Vintage yes, but not retro – you could call it a casual Berlin style. The mix includes items by less-well-known and emerging designers, such as the Tivoli lights by Simon Henningsen. ‘That is part of what makes Berlin great – the ability to reinvent yourself and create great new things with what is already there,’ Bona says.
Vintage Bertoia wire chair, reupholstered with Kvadrat fabric, Unique Factory. Table, made to measure by Benjamin Pistorius. Vintage sideboard, Charlotte Perriand. Tivoli pendant lights by Simon Henningsen from Original in Berlin.
See creative ways to use vintage pieces in your home
Left of the hallway and kitchen is the living room, complete with new wall opening. In the background, you can see the long dining/conference table.
The cooperation between the owner and the designers was intensive. They even found time to visit second-hand markets and select stores, such as Original In Berlin or Transatlantica, together.
When browsing digital inspiration images and mood boards with the owner, Vintagency soon realised the colours would also be an extremely important aspect of the redesign. ‘Right down to choosing the right shade of white,’ recalls Bona. ‘She knew exactly which white she wanted.’
Adding colour selectively with furnishings was the obvious way to go, and that decision was made quickly, too. ‘The owner said right away that she loves the contrast between petrol and rust,’ says van der Linden. They found the dominant blue in the sideboards – midcentury, probably Belgian – that the owner already had, in almost the same style as the Perriand sideboard.
Pedrera coffee table, Gubi. Wooden Textiles ceramic side table, Elisa Strozyk. Vintage Georg Thams armchair, Mid Century Design. 265 wall light, Flos.
When browsing digital inspiration images and mood boards with the owner, Vintagency soon realised the colours would also be an extremely important aspect of the redesign. ‘Right down to choosing the right shade of white,’ recalls Bona. ‘She knew exactly which white she wanted.’
Adding colour selectively with furnishings was the obvious way to go, and that decision was made quickly, too. ‘The owner said right away that she loves the contrast between petrol and rust,’ says van der Linden. They found the dominant blue in the sideboards – midcentury, probably Belgian – that the owner already had, in almost the same style as the Perriand sideboard.
Pedrera coffee table, Gubi. Wooden Textiles ceramic side table, Elisa Strozyk. Vintage Georg Thams armchair, Mid Century Design. 265 wall light, Flos.
The windows that lead to the roofed portico – to the right in this image – are quite large, allowing a great deal of natural light to flood the living area. The white-oiled floorboards that replaced the previous worn, yellowish floor made the biggest contribution to brightening the space.
The new suite of rooms, from the living room through the office and into the guest room, seem to almost glow, and there are plenty of fixed points where your eye can rest. This reveals subtle relationships from every perspective, such as the recurring delicate black lines in the iron frame of the coffee table, the lamps in the office, and the trapezoidal patterns of the soft Beni Ourain rug.
The new suite of rooms, from the living room through the office and into the guest room, seem to almost glow, and there are plenty of fixed points where your eye can rest. This reveals subtle relationships from every perspective, such as the recurring delicate black lines in the iron frame of the coffee table, the lamps in the office, and the trapezoidal patterns of the soft Beni Ourain rug.
In spite of the client’s love of vintage pieces, she didn’t insist on them at all costs. For example, she wanted to use the connecting room off the living area as an occasional office, and some compromise was required.
‘It was difficult to find vintage furniture for the exact needs and dimensions of this office,’ van der Linden says. ‘Sometimes, the best solution can be to have something custom-made.’ In this case, it was a desk by Berlin-based company Neue Tische, which is airy, light and has a lot of working space.
Eames armchair with La Fonda base, Vitra. Table made to measure, Neue Tische. Lights, DCW éditions.
‘It was difficult to find vintage furniture for the exact needs and dimensions of this office,’ van der Linden says. ‘Sometimes, the best solution can be to have something custom-made.’ In this case, it was a desk by Berlin-based company Neue Tische, which is airy, light and has a lot of working space.
Eames armchair with La Fonda base, Vitra. Table made to measure, Neue Tische. Lights, DCW éditions.
The guest room, which adjoins the office, is the same size as one of the old language school classrooms, but is much cosier now. With a stacking bed and a small desk, it has everything you need for a few quiet hours of downtime. The striking blue is contrasted here with a few yellow highlights, such as the classic Panton FlowerPot light.
Vintage shelves, Wilhelm Renz. Verner Panton FlowerPot light, available from Nest. Artwork, Emer O’Brien.
Vintage shelves, Wilhelm Renz. Verner Panton FlowerPot light, available from Nest. Artwork, Emer O’Brien.
Returning through the living room takes you back to the dining table, with its mixed and matched chairs by Bertoia and Friso Kramer. The magical play of light projected on the ceiling by the Tivoli lamp is clear to see. Studio Lux fitted inconspicuous ceiling spotlights throughout the room as well, for even illumination.
The narrow corridor in the background leads towards the bathroom and main bedroom – the most intimate areas are the most secluded, towards the courtyard.
The narrow corridor in the background leads towards the bathroom and main bedroom – the most intimate areas are the most secluded, towards the courtyard.
The bathroom was refurbished without breaking the budget. It includes underfloor heating, but the system was actually installed inadvertently, because of a missed comma. Vintagency sent an update email to the contractor that read, ‘the floor, heating also have to be done…’. However, the contractor read ‘floor heating’ and started installing the heating coils. It was a happy accident, and one they can look back on and laugh about now.
Lighting, DCW éditions. Accessories, Iittala.
Lighting, DCW éditions. Accessories, Iittala.
The second, large bedroom is at the end of a narrow corridor, and around the corner. In the entrance area to the bedroom (not shown), an Ikea wardrobe was fitted into a niche, and upcycled with new fronts and red leather handles by Superfront.
This sleeping area also features sunny yellow accents, perhaps as a mood-booster for the mornings. The owner already had the sun mirror, a piece that effortlessly works with the bedside table by Florence Knoll and the standard lamp by design icon Greta Grossman.
Assessing and integrating existing pieces was one of the first steps Vintagency took when planning the interior. After all, they didn’t have much time to create something that reflected the owner’s personality – something that looks like an interior that’s grown over many years.
Vintage floor lamp, Greta Grossman. Small table, Florence Knoll. Mohair blanket, Maiami. Bed, Vitamin Design.
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This sleeping area also features sunny yellow accents, perhaps as a mood-booster for the mornings. The owner already had the sun mirror, a piece that effortlessly works with the bedside table by Florence Knoll and the standard lamp by design icon Greta Grossman.
Assessing and integrating existing pieces was one of the first steps Vintagency took when planning the interior. After all, they didn’t have much time to create something that reflected the owner’s personality – something that looks like an interior that’s grown over many years.
Vintage floor lamp, Greta Grossman. Small table, Florence Knoll. Mohair blanket, Maiami. Bed, Vitamin Design.
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What do you think of this Berlin apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here The owner of a design agency
Location Mitte district of Berlin, Germany
Designers Maj van der Linden and Rosario Bona of Vintagency
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom; 115 sq m
Once you make your way through the leafy courtyard of this revamped property, climb the short staircase to the mezzanine and pass through the front door, you come to a small, V-shaped kitchen. The cupboards were upgraded with new door fronts and handles by Superfront.
The owner loves vintage design, which is one of the reasons she chose the team at Vintagency, who specialise in finding vintage pieces. When she was a student, long before she started Vintagency, Maj van der Linden began selling vintage furniture on eBay. ‘In the late 1990s, a lot of people started throwing out their old furniture from the 1960s and 1970s with their household rubbish,’ she says. ‘Just walking around the better-off areas of Frankfurt, you would see classics by Cassina or Knoll lying around!’
She and her partner, Rosario Bona, both have a passion for vintage furniture and a nose for the right sources. But they’re not afraid to bring in experts for areas outside their expertise, either. For example, Berlin-based curator Annabelle von Girsewald helped them choose artwork for this project, and Studio Lux helped solve the difficult light situation.
Result chair, designed in 1957 by Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Cirkel.