Somewhere in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district lies a charming family apartment with an interior that almost feels like living within a luxe, niche high fashion boutique. Designed by German practice
Batek Architekten, SCH52 is a refreshing of a historically rich loft. With double-height ceiling interlaced with moments of conceal and reveal – this apartment for a family of five is guaranteed to make you feel like you’ve escaped somewhere better than your own home.
Formerly a factory, the loft is jovially described as the ideal bachelor pad due to generosity of space. Opting for minimal disturbances to the distinct characteristics, the architects took existing cast-iron pillars and the array of tall windows as implied thresholds and visual divisions of the 240 square metres floorplate. This strategy led to a distinctive splitting of the area into two zones – the public area with open plan living, dining and kitchen to the west, and private spaces arranged to the east.
Entering SCH52, visitors face a narrow space formed by a series of three-layer timber cubby-like boxes that house private areas. Each box, arranged diagonally and individually capped with a slanted roof, encloses either the three bedrooms, bathrooms, storage and studio. Batek Architekten purposely capped the timber boxes just below the existing characteristics to create a roofscape and an exposure of warehouse’s overarching beams. The dressing room, however, is capped with a flat roof to serve as a makeshift second floor for the house. Only accessible via a staircase concealed by a louvre, visitors can sit against a timber balustrade while occupying the ‘roof terrace’ as a library or guest area. Such playful decision creates an adolescent charm warmly welcomed for the former bachelor apartment.
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