If you’re a designer, you’ve got a grasp on all that is Berlin’s design frenzy. Good part is it never gets old so you throw in for a visit now and then. But let’s dig under the skin and spit out the seeds within the confines of a penthouse – or attik – flat of a Neukölln AltBau. The walls are whitewashed, the floors of hardwood. Structure violates space but, they rise through and coalesce into pitched ceilings. Wine is poured into ornate crystal goblets, rescued from a forgotten storefront or another, and sparkles in the light. But don’t get too comfortable yet.
Sure, a culinary chef can go wild here but socio-political issues are screaming off the walls and bookshelves. A bathroom poster demands you rebel against a serenely silent room. The morning sun floods in through skylights, exposing a series of professional photography pinned to a slanted wall. An expert on international affairs and hair styling goes to work on her boyfriend’s tangle of hair. The smell of arabica coffee floats from the stovetop Bialetti and Radio Retaliation is leaking off the stereo. Racy but chill, work hard, play hard. Welcome to a Berlin lifestyle!