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Architects: Atelier Fanelsa
- Area: 60 m²
- Year: 2019
Text description provided by the architects. This apartment in Berlin-Neukölln is completely refurbished with a new kitchen, bathroom, floors, partition walls and built-in furniture that provide ample space and a fresh atmosphere. The precise new elements form a stark contrast to the details of the rough, pre-existing surfaces and exposed materials that are kept in their original state.
The apartment was left well-worn by its previous inhabitants. The walls, floor and ceiling have a patina revealing traces from the past decades – strata of time in the shape of wallpaper, cheap laminate and odd tiles. After peeling off many layers, we discover fragile walls, odd piping, and oblique doors.
By tearing down a brick wall, the new main room is created, a generous central space delineated by a custom structure made of pale wooden panels. This precisely crafted element is something between partitioning and a versatile, comprehensive piece of furniture, with cabinets and drawers. Behind it a second living area is concealed, with an elevated bed, a desk and more storage space, all built from the same wood paneling as the partition structure. The open space of the new central room intentionally lays the process of its creation bare, with the scars of removed walls left visible and the scratched oxblood floorboards of the areas outside the rectangular space.
Between the bathroom and the kitchen an existing drywall is replaced by translucent polycarbonate panels, simultaneously separating and unifying the two rooms. Both have a robust floor made of cement tiles. The bathroom walls are covered with rough plaster, highlighting the smooth tiles and fixtures. All of the other walls in the apartment are left in the odd, neutral tone found beneath the wallpaper, complemented by the new elements, which follow this muted palette. The electrical installation is cased in wall-mounted shiny aluminum profiles, winding through the apartment in even lines.
