A Sexy, Minimalist Remodel in Berlin - Remodelista
Photography by Karolina Bak via Loft Szczecin. This sexy, minimalist overhaul is the work of interior and furniture designer Jacek Kolasinski of Loft Szczecin, a firm based in Szczecin, Poland (an hour and a half north of Berlin). “My concept was to use classic Bauhaus elements from the twenties and combine them with Scandinavian designs and some Polish accents,” says Kolasinski. Above R: Gubi’s Semi Pendants, a 1968 design by Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup, hang in the entry, which is furnished with a bench and wall-hung key cabinet by Kolasinski, who told us, “The chest is used to store shoes; it was inspired by old Polish dowry chests.” In the living room, leather sofas supplied by the owners stand under a Bent Chandelier by New York architecture firm Workstead. Above L: A midcentury Polish vase. The black midcentury sideboard is another of the many pieces Kolasinski bought at auction and had restored in Poland–Loft Szczecin also sells refurbished Danish, Czech, and Polish furniture from the twenties, fifties, and sixties and is a source worth discovering. Gubi’s Ronde Pendants by German designer Oliver Schick hang over the family table in the streamlined eat-in kitchen. The wide floorboards are oak with an oil finish. The apartment overlooks parkland. Kolasinski had the curtain rods fabricated by a locksmith–”thanks to a very special construction, installation elements are not visible.” All the apartment curtains are sheer linen sewn in Poland. The kitchen has a Corian counter with integrated sink and Bestlite Wall Sconces. Kolasinski made the table in the formal dining room with Vitra legs purchased at auction. The plates on the wall are vintage Polish designs: “They’re the work of some of the best Polish sculptors and graphic artists,” says Kolasinski. Above L and R: The chairs are backed in velvet of varying shades. Gray linen upholstery and bedding in the master bedroom. The bed linens are by Polish company Yelen. Kolasinski’s designs for the house were fabricated by Marcin Wyszecki at Loft Szczecin’s workshop in Poland using joinery and other traditional techniques. Kolasinski cloaked the bathroom in shades of fog and designed the oak chaise and sink cabinet. The wash basin is a Philippe Starck design for Duravit. The room is anchored by an extra-tall painted baseboard highlighted with a stripe. The hanging wood-framed mirror is Kolasinski’s Lustro design. The tall, dark baseboards are also practical–they protect against moisture.