Weserstrasse, Berlin

This beautiful space in Weserstrasse, was not anywhere near being used to its full potential. The rooms were over whelmed by clutter and life, a life well lived that didn't have time for being re-designed.

The interior project therefore very much involved aiding and abetting the family's busy lifestyle; creating calm zones, implementing systems, warming up the sharpness and easing the dredge of every day difficulties through the harmony of space, zones and colour.

The project is still ongoing as I have only worked on the kitchen and the hallway.

The budget was low and the timing was tricky as the family have young kids but we worked around all the problems and made a huge change.

The feel that the couple wanted was something cosy and homely, but they were also desperate for a sense of calm, and some order. The words funky, modern and fresh, 'not too designy', a 'a real home', were also terms they used.

I decided that Farrow & Ball's deep Stiffkey Blue paint was modern and cool, but also cosy. The William Morris wallpaper added an old English charm (the clients Rosa and Loki are English/German) and was in-keeping with their love of the countryside and cooking and combined the idea of a cosy English, as well as modern European home.

The corridor was a challenge. I felt it needed turning from a cluttered gangway into a room of its own and I think we managed that. People now linger there.

The kitchen needed to find a balance between being a place to accommodate the kids and adults; so I decided to push the "messy"/"playful" end and make it into a full blown art corner for the kids, and smarten up the relaxing adult end.