Katja Kessler Kreation Design a Rustic and Cosy Family Home

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a rustic and cosy residential design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Katja Kessler Kreation.

The entire building was carefully gutted to gain space. Downstairs all walls were removed creating an inviting lounge-like kitchen-living room. Recycled brushed pine flooring, old grain sacks as couch covers and brick walls stripped of plaster give the place a unique fingerprint. Old and modern elements were carefully arranged in order to link the landmark nature of the building with the amenities of a modern family home. In the first floor a master bedroom and two guest rooms each of it with own ensuite bathroom found their place.

What was the client's brief? 

The client approached us with a daring idea: to revitalise a 19th century sleazy Baltic Sea villa that for decades had been inhabited by bats only. He had discovered the ruin during a stroll along the coastline of the German island Usedom and fell in love at first sight. Not only that he wanted us to preserve the vastly deteriorated landmark nature of the building, but at the same time he envisioned a welcoming warm cosy family nest, a place to host family and guests comfortably.

What inspired the design of the project?

The proximity to the Baltic Sea, seagulls screeching, wind blowing, endless sound of the waves – that all created a strong impression of freedom and the power of untamed nature which to us felt had to be translated into an interior design that echoed all these emotions. Moreover, we discovered that from 1906 to 1916, Engelbert Humperdinck, student of music legend Richard Wagner and composer of the world-famous opera “Hensel & Gretel” lodged in the VILLA MEERESSTERN, then a guesthouse, to compose the opening music theme for Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. Therefore, our mission was not only to renovate a spectacular old house but to worship the place and treat it with respect to its historic significance. We decided to reuse whatever we could: old wooden floorings, ancient brick walls, weathered cobblestones – all these components were carefully obtained and secured to be used again later or reinforced to its original grandeur.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The original interior design of the building was designed by Dracula – or was at least deeply inspired by him. On the ground floor: tiny rooms cramped by cold walls, and not a glimpse of sunlight. In the attic and basement: the same. There was no way that we would be able to remodel this into a cosy, sun-drenched, warm family beach home making some minor adjustments here and there. Instead, the whole layout had to be rethought. Where to fit the kitchen, where the living-room, and how would it all work together? It needed some crazy dramatic solutions for these problems.

While the building’s outer surface was kept untouched (more or less), for the inside we came up with a design called “the no wall policy”: the entirety of the ground floor was gutted. This created an open room that nurtured the sense of togetherness. Kitchen, living room, study, conservatory, and dining place merged into one spacious lounge-like loft that allowed light to enter from all sides through 3-meter-high windows. This opened unbelievable visual axes and revealed the full beauty of the surrounding landscape including the endless blue of the sea and the blossoming garden.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

To arrive at the sight for the first time seeing that the ground floor had been stripped of all inner walls, the outer walls freed from plaster, the old pine flooring recycled and brushed, and the sun shining into the house all the way through – that was kind of a solemn breath-taking moment.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

I've been following the SBID Awards for a long time and have repeatedly been inspired and impressed by the submitted projects. This year, I thought now or never and submitted my own application.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

So many people congratulated us for the nomination via social media. It feels like participating in a kind of interior Oscar. That alone has been a great compliment for me and the rest of my team.

Questions answered by Katja Kessler, Founder of Katja Kessler Kreation.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a colour coordinated office design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Katja Kessler Kreation.

A former 17-storey high-rise signature office building which was abandoned for years and only populated by an army of pigeons is currently subjected to a complete makeover. The first task Katja Kessler Kreation is assigned with by the client: creating a unique interior design handwriting for various functionalities within the building (such as the entrance lobby, the spacious day bar, the boarding homes, the coworking settings and the panorama conference floor). Second task: These highly elaborated fancy floors should effortlessly blend into the building’s all-over-design (created by Katja Kessler creation, too) which is targeting a more classy design.

What was the client's brief? 

A former 17-storey high-rise signature office building in the heart of Germany which was abandoned for years and only populated by an army of pigeons is currently subjected to a complete makeover. The client wants the interior to serve a vast variety of different functionalities and purposes including a day bar, boarding rooms, co-working settings, offices and conference floors. He asked us to give every single area an individual touch that would provide a high recognition value within the building while blending into the all-over design.

What inspired the design of the project?

We were primarily inspired by the monotonous grey and cold concrete shell of the building. Therefore to set a contrast, we decided to give each floor a distinctive feature by attributing individual vivid colour-codes.

The history of the building - a former Telecom headquarter from the seventies – had a big impact on our design philosophy of this project, too. An old phone booth was reinvented, its windows replaced by screens, and now serves as a guide post for visitors entering the building. The pages of an old telephone book were digitally obtained, replicated, and printed as a wallpaper and now cover the walls of the entrance area. All these are examples of how attention to small details can have a significant impact on the over-all appearance. Redefining old and meaningful components to incorporate them into the building has been a major key to the all-over interior concept of this project.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The sheer size of the project, the number of people involved, and the range of functionalities and purposes – all these aspects accumulated into one big challenge: Not to lose track of the core ideas and principles of this project – to create an inviting modern interior which doesn’t need a manual to be understood but provides an iPad moment, because it is self-explaining.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Amidst the messy construction site full of dirt, dust and junk piles we staged a fully equipped pop-up hotel room made up only of four drywalls and a door. Passing through this door was like glimpsing into the future: Sunlight was flooding through cosy velvet curtains, a bed with fluffed pillows dared you to take a spontaneous nap, and a toothbrush on the stylish looking vanity awaited your late-night routine. This was a moment of wow, accompanied by a breath-taking view over the city skyline.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

I've been following the SBID Awards for a long time and have repeatedly been inspired and impressed by the submitted projects. This year, I thought now or never and submitted my own application.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

So many people congratulated us for the nomination via social media. It feels like participating in a kind of interior Oscar. That alone has been a great compliment for me and the rest of my team.

Questions answered by Katja Kessler, Founder of Katja Kessler Kreation.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an ocean-view residential design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Katja Kessler Kreation.

The client owned a vacation home which was only an empty shell and asked for an interior design concept. The empty shell turned out to be a seven-metre-high postmodern recently built concrete building.

What was the client's brief? 

My client dreamed of an interior design, that would bring together regional heritage and modern vibes, creating a powerful and emotional yet stylish space. A place to sense the refreshing breeze of the Baltic Sea during the day; a place to cuddle in front of the crackling fire, listening to the raging waves at night.

What inspired the design of the project?

Entering the shell of the building I had the sensation of standing inside a modern, concrete-formed cathedral – an overwhelming feeling. One central idea was spiraling in my head: Why conceal anything here? The rough cold DNA of the building's structure should be palpable at every point!

So, I left the seven-meter-high concrete walls completely unplastered and used them as a backdrop for a historic church staircase, proudly displaying its 200-year-old scarred woodworm patina skin. 150-year-old weathered iron windows from a nearby decommissioned distillery, repurposed as kitchen walls, also pay homage to past times. In contrast postmodern XL window fronts that can be folded open across their full width like an accordion serve as bridges between the past and the present, as well as between indoor and outdoor. These windows bring in sunlight, wind, and the calls of seagulls, turning the expansive terrace into an additional living room on beautiful days. A ceiling mounted 360-degree swiveling XL fireplace accentuates the cathedral-like height of the building's structure, though sitting in front of the crackling fire, it simultaneously provides a cave-like ambiance.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Moving and fitting the old 1000 kg spiral staircase into the shell required the assistance of five hard-trained carpenters and the same amount of champagne bottles to celebrate what we had achieved.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Sitting on the ocean-view terrace for the very first time with the entire crew gazing beyond the horizon on a quiet Sunday afternoon, resembled the cathedral like spirit I had experienced when first visiting this place. It was a moment of reward for what we had accomplished together.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

I've been following the SBID Awards for a long time and have repeatedly been inspired and impressed by the submitted projects. This year, I thought now or never and submitted my own application.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

So many people congratulated us for the nomination via social media. It feels like participating in a kind of interior Oscar. That alone has been a great compliment for me and the rest of my team.

Questions answered by Dr. Katja Kessler, Interior Designer and Founder of Katja Kessler Kreation.