Penthouse in Prenzlauer Berg – The origin of the Dark Scandinavian

You guys, maybe you know this phenomenon, too. Sometimes you have to return to those places that mean most to you. Your favorite tree, favorite park or favorite plastic bag, to mark your territory or to remember special memories. My places are the streets of Neukölln, the Weichselplatz and my beloved Hasenheide. My owner Gregor has other places. One place that is important to him I will talk about today: a beautiful Berlin penthouse apartment, located in Prenzlauer Berg.

Our interior design office has always created different spaces. But before we started designing cafés, restaurants and retail stores, we created living spaces and apartments like many interior designers before us. This one especially will always stay in our memories. It was the first apartment where we used our ‘Dark Scandinavian’ Interior Design style – without even knowing we do so back then. We got the inquiry through a friend, who gave our contacts and highly praised us to our future clients. I mean, how could he not… But we had no idea back then, how quickly those clients should become friends.

We met in their penthouse in Prenzlauer Berg, to talk about the concepts Gregor created. Their wish was to design a room in the ‘Scandinavian Interior Design’. Without it looking like the catalogue of this one Swedish furniture brand. The big windows and the light that goes along with it, were the perfect conditions to create a cozy, personalized apartment with a modern flair. Hygge and Lagom are the magic words. But not long into the conversation, my owner and I noticed something very essential that we needed to know before creating their new home: the two of them are great and passionate socializer. There was constantly new food in my bowl, I was even allowed to eat from your human bowls – all of this, to make us feel comfortable in their home.

The penthouse was supposed to be transformed into a oasis of well-being, with a bigger lounge space. The living room already had a big sofa in crème color which was complemented by two additional poufs in grey. All the elements implemented were supposed to match the Scandinavian model – lots of white, combined with grey and petrol. Another important aspect for the composition of the room is the clear stylistic idiom of the interior design. Therefore, we implemented pillows that match the color of the petrol-colored wall – the color of all materials need to supplement the interior.

But we wouldn’t be Otto von Berlin, if we weren’t sticking to our trademark ‘don’t be afraid of darker colors’. To extend the functionality and storage space, we expanded the pantry in the kitchen and faced it with dark wood and black metal. Looks like our bearded interior designer was already back then a trendsetter. The bar table was also already a part of the penthouse apartment, but received an update as well. The surface was replaces by a new pickled ash full wood table top that was replaced onto the metal frame and accentuates the new socializing area.

That’s for today, folks. Come on Gregor, you have chilled enough on this comfy couch. I want to go to Hasenheide. Now!

Yours Otto.

Photos: Fizz foto:graphy