omantic, playful, quiet and modern – it’s
all of that and more,’ says Israeli architect
ester Bruzkus of her recently completed
78-square-metre Berlin apartment,
which she shares with her partner, design
professor Peter greenberg. ‘It’s precise
but unpredictable, rigid but flexible,
intricately planned but relaxed. It’s
full of contrasts and surprises. Which
is exactly what I wanted.’ design has
always been in ester’s blood, although
growing up it was the world of fashion
that beckoned. ‘When I was little, I used
to draw the models in Vogue, but in the
end, I decided to study something more
serious,’ she jokes. If her home is anything
to go by, that childlike inquisitiveness and
desire for play are still as strong as ever.
Located in the vibrant, family-friendly
neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg in the
east of the city, the building is particularly
important as one of the first built in the
early ’90s after the fall of the Wall. ‘It
has an interesting construction,’ says
ester. ‘The lofts with their blue epoxy
resin floors, cement roofs and elevated
platforms in the windows offer views of the outside.’ ester and
Peter had lived in the block before and hadn’t wanted to move.
But they had wanted a rooftop garden, so when one of the two
penthouses became available, it was a no-brainer. They jumped
at the opportunity.
‘The apartment faces both east and west, which means we see
the sunrise and sunset from the terrace,’ says ester. ‘The light
that comes through is really special and, when the weather is
good, the space opens up entirely.’ The couple grows their own
vegetables in this space, and there’s a bountiful apple tree. While
the previous owners had opted for a more classic, pared-back
interior, rendered in marble, timber and black, the couple had
something completely different in mind. By removing these
heavy,cocooningelements,theyopenedupthespaceentirely,
maximisingonitsairy,lightweightqualitieswhileaddingpunches
ofheadycolourandtexture.‘sinceitwas,fundamentally,an
emptyrectangle,wehadtheopportunitytostartfromscratch
andallocatethefloorplanexactlyaswewanted,’saysester.‘The
onlythingswesavedwerethewindowsandtheconcreteroof.
Theideawastointroduceboxeswithinboxes.’Today,thelarge
centralarea,flankedbyterraces,comprisesaliving-dining-kitchen
areathatoffersaccesstothebedroom(thebathroomistheonly
closedroominthehome).Theyalsointroducedtwovolumes
offull-heightwood–oneinlightoak,theotherinlaminated
grey – to order the space. ‘I designed the kitchen and bathroom
myself and then painted the walls, even the light sockets, in soft
tones borrowed from Le corbusier’s palette,’ she says. The dining
table and red-and-pink velvet sofa were also custom-designed and
paired with Wegner chairs and pieces of contemporary art from
the couple’s collection. ‘I love mixing materials – foams, silks,
cardboard, cracked tiles, mirrors, marble, brass, volcanic rock,
rare fabrics – it’s all about these unexpected details,’ she explains
of her creative process. how, then, would ester sum up her vision
for the space? ‘I’d call it a millennial-industrial style,’ she says, ‘But
with a deeply sophisticated undercurrent.’ n^
Ester Bruzkus 8 esterbruzkus.comabove the ‘memPhis meLon’ dining tAbLe, designed
by ester, with ‘wishbone’ And ‘eLbow’ chAirs by hAns
j wegner for cArL hAnsen & sØn in the kitchen-dining-
room AreA
oppoSitE paGE, cLockwiSE fRom top LEft ALthough most
of the interior wAs redone, the window stePs were
mAintAined; furniture And Accessories in moroccAn
Prints on the outdoor terrAce; A cArrArA mArbLe sink
And coLe & son ‘greAt wAve’ wALLPAPer in the terrAzzo
bAthroom; vAses by heLLA jongerius for ikeA sit beside
the doubLe wArdrobe thAt sePArAtes the bedroom
from the kitchen72 house garden september 2019