A final wide-angle view emphasises the symmetry and curvature of the living room, where glass bricks form a luminous architectural envelope. The composition balances the weight of the red sofa with the lighter presence of the patterned lounge chair and glass tables, encapsulating Studio Karhard’s fusion of retro sensibility, industrial materials, and carefully modulated light.

Berghain, Reimagined: Studio Karhard Blends Techno-Futurism and Milanese Elagance in a Berlin Apartment

Words by Eric David

Berlin, Germany

It’s not every day that you come across a private apartment tracing its lineage back to a techno nightclub. Yet the starting point for this Berlin apartment by Studio Karhard lies not in domestic precedent but in the underground world of Berghain. Two decades after shaping the interiors of the techno institution, the architects were approached by an American couple drawn to its subversive, starkly minimal, and unapologetically dark ambience. The challenge was not to domesticate the nightclub aesthetic, but to translate its energy into a design-forward space that could also feel genuinely lived in. With this in mind, Studio Karhard organised the apartment into lighter and darker scenes, united by a fluid design language of sinuous forms and a tactile palette of contrasting materials. The result is a carefully calibrated exercise in sumptuous minimalism that defies expectation, artfully fusing techno-futuristic cues with the sensual restraint of 1960s Milanese interiors.

Framed by translucent glass-brick walls, a solitary patterned armchair sits beneath a ceiling-mounted speaker, transforming a passage into a pause for listening. Diffused daylight softens the terrazzo floor and pale walls, while the heavy audio equipment introduces a deliberate note of intensity. The composition underscores Studio Karhard’s interest in thresholds, solitude, and moments of immersion within the apartment’s layered spatial narrative.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A wider view situates the living room within its full spatial context, where glass bricks wrap the perimeter to form a continuous, translucent enclosure. The crimson sofa, patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Cassina, and sculptural glass coffee tables create a layered, tactile interior that balances retro references with contemporary material precision.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Located in Kreuzberg, the apartment underwent a radical reconfiguration. What had previously been a conventional two-room layout was stripped back and rebuilt as a sequence of carefully calibrated zones, each defined by shifts in light, material, and mood. At the heart of the scheme, a curved glass-brick wall arcs gently through the plan. More than a partition, it operates as a luminous diaphragm, separating the apartment’s social areas both from the entrance and private realms while allowing light to travel freely between them.

The living room and adjoining kitchen-dining area unfold on the one side of this translucent curve where cream-hued plaster walls and terrazzo flooring establish a warm, tactile counterpoint, while stainless-steel surfaces echo the cool, reflective register of the glass-brickwork. Bathed in daylight, the living area is anchored by a built-in sofa set on a sinuous stainless-steel plinth that traces the curvature of the glass-brick wall. Upholstered in crimson-red Kvadrat fabric, the sofa animates the otherwise restrained palette, introducing a note of sleek theatricality reminiscent of 1960s Milanese interiors along with a pair of Soda blown-glass coffee tables by Yiannis Ghikas for Miniforms, a camouflage-patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina, and a round carpet by Ferreira de Sá, all rendered in deep green tones.

The living area unfolds around a sweeping glass-brick backdrop, its gently curved surface diffusing daylight across the room. A deep red, built-in sofa traces the arc of the wall, set atop a stainless-steel plinth, while a circular green carpet and low glass tables anchor the seating arrangement in a midcentury-inflected composition.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A close-up captures the junction between the curved sofa and the glass-brick wall, highlighting the precision of the stainless-steel base and the plush texture of the upholstery. A slim vertical lighting pole punctuates the composition, introducing an architectural line that echoes the vertical rhythm embedded in the glass bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The seating area is framed by a dark opening that leads back into the apartment’s shadowed zones, heightening the contrast with the softly illuminated living space. Green-tinted glass tables, a plush carpet, and patterned upholstery animate the foreground, while the curved glass-brick wall reinforces a sense of enclosure and continuity.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining area unfolds beside the curved glass-brick wall, where daylight filters gently into the space. A round dark table and leather-upholstered chairs sit on terrazzo flooring, while stainless-steel cabinetry and a bench-lined window balance industrial clarity with domestic comfort, reinforcing Studio Karhard’s careful calibration of light and material.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining and kitchen area extends this dialogue between nostalgia and futurism, bringing together floor-to-ceiling stainless-steel cabinetry punctuated by untreated brass alcoves and a curvaceous stainless-steel island. Brown leather dining chairs and a dark wood table temper the kitchen’s industrial precision with warmth and tactility. Suspended above, a futuristic chandelier by Sabine Marcelis casts a soft, ambient glow that subtly mirrors the golden hues of the brass niches.

  • A pivoting stainless-steel cabinet reveals a concealed bar niche, where bottles and glassware are displayed against a dark interior. The juxtaposition of reflective metal, shadowed storage, and the adjacent glass-brick wall underscores the apartment’s nightclub-inflected sensibility, blending functionality with moments of theatrical reveal.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • Stainless-steel cabinetry defines the kitchen, its cool, brushed surfaces offset by warm brass alcoves recessed into the wall. The glass-brick partition softly diffuses light across the metallic planes, while terrazzo flooring grounds the composition, highlighting the project’s fusion of industrial minimalism and tactile warmth.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • A closer view of the brass alcoves emphasizes their hand-finished texture and warm tonality, set sharply against the brushed stainless-steel cabinetry. The precise junctions and concealed lighting reveal Studio Karhard’s attention to craft, where material contrast becomes a primary architectural expression rather than mere surface treatment.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

Brass-lined cabinetry niches glow softly within the stainless-steel kitchen wall, creating a luminous pause amid the otherwise cool material palette. Carefully framed shelves hold everyday objects like glassware and a coffee maker, elevating utilitarian storage into a composed, almost scenographic element within the domestic landscape.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A sculptural pendant by Sabine Marcelis hovers above the dining table, its warm amber glow animating the room’s otherwise restrained palette. Suspended against cream plaster walls, the light’s geometric form introduces a subtle futurism, echoing the apartment’s dialogue between softness and precision while casting a calm, atmospheric halo over the dining setting.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Crossing the glass-brick threshold, the mood shifts decisively. The entrance and adjoining powder room, study, and bedroom are deliberately darkened, their black-painted surfaces, dark terrazzo flooring and controlled lighting recalling the introspective corners of a nightclub at its most intimate. The powder room, in particular, boldly embraces this sensation: enveloped in stainless-steel surfaces and featuring a metal grid ceiling, the softly illuminated space feels closer to a nightspot  interlude than a domestic setting.

In contrast, the en-suite bathroom is defined by openness and light. Mint-green cabinetry and surfaces establish a calm, almost clinical clarity, while daylight diffused through the glass-brick wall softens the room’s edges. At its centre, a monolithic washbasin carved from richly veined green marble is paired with a gleaming black bathtub set against a mirrored wall, their sculptural forms introducing a futuristic yet deeply elemental presence.

  • Seen through a darkened threshold, the powder room emerges as an intimate, nocturnal space. Black-painted walls, dark terrazzo flooring, and stainless-steel surfaces create a controlled, immersive atmosphere, recalling the secluded corners of a nightclub and reinforcing the apartment’s deliberate progression from light-filled openness to introspective calm.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • A compact powder room unfolds as a dark, immersive volume clad entirely in brushed stainless steel. Vertical light strips flank the mirror, sharpening the room’s symmetry while reflecting softly off metallic surfaces. The angular, folded-steel basin reinforces the space’s industrial precision, evoking the controlled intensity and pared-back aesthetics of a nocturnal, club-like interior.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

A detail of the bedroom reveals the tension between matte black surfaces and the textured transparency of the glass-brick wall. A cylindrical wall-mounted light introduces a subtle glow, its industrial character reinforcing the space’s nocturnal atmosphere while offering a restrained counterpoint to the tactile, rhythmic pattern of the bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Viewed from the bedroom, a curved glass-brick wall acts as a luminous threshold between darkness and light. The blackened, cocooning sleeping area opens onto a brighter sequence beyond, where terrazzo flooring and diffused daylight soften the transition. The composition foregrounds Studio Karhard’s spatial choreography, using translucency and curvature to guide movement and mood.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A freestanding black bathtub sits before a mirrored wall and an expanse of glass bricks, its glossy surface reflecting both light and shadow. Daylight refracts through the textured glass, animating the room with subtle movement, while the tub’s sculptural form introduces a dramatic focal point within the otherwise restrained, luminous setting.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The en-suite bathroom is anchored by a monolithic green marble washbasin set against pale mint cabinetry and terrazzo flooring. An oval backlit mirror introduces a soft, graphic glow, while glass-brick walls diffuse daylight throughout the space. The composition balances sculptural weight with visual lightness, creating a calm yet highly tactile atmosphere.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • Within the shower area, glass bricks wrap the walls, filtering daylight into a softly luminous enclosure. White fixtures and fittings contrast gently with the cool transparency of the glass, while terrazzo flooring grounds the space. The result is a serene, almost clinical environment defined by repetition, light diffusion, and material clarity.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • An open storage niche interrupts the bathroom’s continuous cabinetry, revealing neatly folded towels and a hanging robe. The recessed void adds depth and rhythm to the elevation, subtly humanising the otherwise precise, minimalist composition and reinforcing the apartment’s careful negotiation between lived-in comfort and architectural rigour.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • A close-up reveals the richly veined green marble of the custom washbasin, its surface carved with precision down to the smallest detail. The stone’s organic patterns and integrated drain highlight Studio Karhard’s emphasis on material expressiveness, where even functional elements become tactile, sculptural moments within the interior.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

  • The bathroom vanity is framed by mint-green cabinetry with crisp panel joints, concealing storage behind a seamless façade. An illuminated oval mirror and white tapware punctuate the composition, while the marble basin introduces depth and texture. Together, these elements balance domestic function with a refined, almost gallery-like presentation.

    Photography by Robert Rieger.

Taken as a whole, the apartment reveals itself as a carefully balanced exercise in contrast. Light and dark, softness and hardness, futurism and nostalgia are brought into deliberate alignment, allowing markedly different atmospheres to coexist without friction. In doing so, Studio Karhard has shaped a home that carries the memory of Berlin’s most iconic club not as pastiche, but as atmosphere in a space attuned to rhythm, transition, and the quiet drama of moving from one state to another.

A dark, built-in wall unit in matte black sets a hushed, utilitarian tone, its recessed shelves displaying sculptural objects and a minimalist lamp. The inky surfaces absorb light, heightening contrast with the speckled terrazzo floor, while a pair of aluminium suitcases leans casually nearby—an understated nod to movement, impermanence, and Berlin’s transient, club-inflected domestic culture.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Berghain, Reimagined: Studio Karhard Blends Techno-Futurism and Milanese Elagance in a Berlin Apartment