Drawing inspiration from the Berlin streets outside its walls, Apartment Leonhardt has been refurbished with a contemporary, colour-driven design approach.
An apartment steeped in colour, history and good humour, this Berlin four-room apartment has been reimagined by Fabian Freytag Studio to reflect the city’s expressive character. Drawing from the home’s original foundation, the team “took the envelope of the project very seriously and continued the story of the existing details,” Freytag says.
The spirit of the Altbau was kept, with the addition of bathrooms, and the apartment was treated like a puzzle; some pieces already in place, others missing. The Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke palette shapes atmosphere through paint and shade, complementing the mix of vintage and Freytag Studio pieces to create, in Freytag’s words, “a mix of harmony and accentuated eclecticism.”
Designed not as a primary residence but as the owner’s place of pause, the home invites a small, ceremonial shift. “We created a world that weaves together several narrative threads, culminating in a moment meant to make you smile,” Freytag says, through vintage and custom-built details that reference the quintessential Berliner Zimmer.
The ALPI Sottsass Orange timber veneer packs a punch in the kitchen.
In the dining area, the Fez light by Servomuto reinforces the home’s playful character.
Entering the living room, details become a sensory experience. A Treviso chandelier by Soho Home adds depth to the space overhead, as does the Fez light, by Servomuto in the dining area. The Velvet lounge chairs by HK Living softens the living room’s geometry. The Chivasso curtains, loosely woven and subtly textured, frame the windows, allowing daylight to diffuse gently across the interior.
Referencing the relationship between colour and light, Freytag explains that the design embraces a bold, playful arrangement centred on hedonism, carried through in the use of glossy colours. Although gloss is an uncommon design choice in apartments, Freytag says “they have surprising reflective qualities: the darker, the more interesting.” For Freytag, colours and materials throughout “come together like the characters of a good feature film.”
Despite the challenge of altering the original floor plan, everything worked. “Now, the sense of what has always been there is tangible,” Freytag says.
The Velvet lounge chairs by HK Living soften geometric lines in the living room.
The Treviso chandelier by Soho Home creates depth while complementing the apartment’s bold, colour-rich palette.
Upholstery fabrics by Casamance adorn both vintage and custom-built furniture.
Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke paint highlights the dialogue between colour, light, and space.
