The project’s name, Berliner Zimmer, refers to a common feature in the city’s 19th and early 20th century’s apartments, a large room that connects the front building with a side wing in the back, typically used as a lounge area. Despite its size, this type of room only has one small window, as is the case in this apartment, which didn’t bode well with the Israeli owners who are used to abundant daylight. Pöppler’s solution was to enlarge the opening that connects the berliner zimmer with the adjacent dining room, thereby increasing any available daylight flooding in from the front of the apartment.

Besides the wish for increased daylight, another way the owners informed the design of the berliner zimmer was their request to include a large, colourful carpet they had fallen in love with, which profoundly influenced the room’s décor, including the choice of wall paint, a bespoke red-orange hue borne from a long process of trying out different colour samples. The wall colour in turn was a decisive factor in the selection of artwork from the owners’ extensive collection – in actual fact, after the architect’s recommendation, the placement of artwork throughout the apartment is the work of a professional curator. Complemented by blue and beige tones, with glossy accents provided by glass and metal furnishings, and swathed in soft textures, courtesy of lush sofas and armchairs, the spacious room is both vibrant and calming, inviting guests to relax in an environment of subdued opulence.