This Berlin Penthouse Uses Color to Create a Vibrant Impact
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Kreuzberg is known as one of the coolest contemporary neighborhoods—making it a fitting host for a recent ambitious Berlin penthouse project from Studio Bosko. Their design for a 1,539-square-foot space required its complete transformation to accommodate the requests of its new residents, who moved from Amsterdam during the pandemic and contacted the studio after they found this unit. Studio Bosko, founded by architect Kasia Kronberger, was presented with a wish list starting with one item at the top: to create a multifunctional home with a palette that wasn’t limited to whites and pale pastels. They wanted a home that would feel like an invitation to creative freedom instead of a place that sets limits on one’s imagination. Their requests were inspired by two details from their lives: One half of the couple works as an illustrator and her partner has a form of color blindness that allows him to perceive only bright colors. This would lead the studio to a palette focused on basic and bold hues—yellow, green, red, and blue. Color provided a transformative element of the design and created a feeling of well-being for the home’s residents, allowing both of them to feel comfortable there.
The studio’s approach included using different colors to define the different spaces of the penthouse. Yellow for the kitchen, red in the dining area, and the living area in green. For the bedroom and more private areas, the use of color is more nuanced, with wood and darker warm tones distinguishing the spaces intended for rest and relaxation.
With Covid restrictions in place, the studio’s main challenge was to manage the unavoidable delays from suppliers and their impact on the project’s schedule. But the creative goal remained constant, “to achieve a smart balance between the different areas of the home and ensure that it’s comfortable in a timeless way,” says Kronberger. All decisions were made in consultation with the clients to create a home where they could unwind, relax, and spend time with friends and family, while also serving as a workspace when necessary. The vison was an apartment that feels sophisticated without being crowded while also being full of character.
The interior design also had to accommodate an important piece of art, a portrait of Frank Zappa by Coco Davez that is a cherished possession of the owners. They wanted to hang it in a prominent place and have it interact with the apartment’s other elements through its colors. It was placed in the middle of the living room, setting the tone for the home and taking center stage with its yellow contrasting with the space’s green elements. The studio then chose different vintage pieces and some design icons, such as Jean Prouvé’s chairs for Vitra in the dining room and lamps by Marset; all the furniture and materials are in harmony with the colors of each different space.
A masterful balance of old and new, classic and quirky is found everywhere in the apartment, and the final design’s interior decoration, architecture, use of natural light, and those vibrant bursts of color add up to a space that is both practical and attractive. And, at the same time, it perfectly reflects the personality of its owners.
This Berlin penthouse was originally published by AD Spain.
1/11The color green was used to define the most social space in the house, the living area with its large windows, designer light fixtures, and furniture which includes many pieces in wood.
2/11The Camaleonda corner sofa continues the green theme of the living area with its pine green alpaca mohair upholstery.
3/11The Carmiate chairs by Vico Magistretti were upholstered with Tiger Mountain silk by Dedar.
4/11The living-room bookcase is custom and designed both for storing books as well as vinyl records. It doubles as a sideboard for the dining room with a minibar and space for a coffee maker.
5/11Two Bohemia pendant lamps by Marset and Vitra Standard chairs designed by Jean Prouvé are the main elements in the dining room, creating an atmosphere that is warm and full of personality.
6/11The Dipping Light from Marset is one of the home’s signature design pieces and it complements the home’s color palette.
7/11The kitchen has been designed in a mostly yellow palette, from the handcrafted tiles to the custom wooden furniture.
8/11The owners are enthusiastic amateur chefs so the studio created a kitchen that is functional and practical without compromising on design.
9/11Oak is the dominant material in the bedroom, creating a more intimate and sober space in contrast to the bright colors of the rest of the home.
10/11The wallpaper above the bed and darker tones define the bedroom, providing a contrast to the vibrant palette of the rest of the home and contributing to a feeling of rest and relaxation.
11/11The bathroom is the darkest though arguably one of the most interesting areas of the penthouse, with its dark green tiles that contrast with the rest of the home and give the room a more traditional look.
