Studio Karhard, the Berlin practice behind the interior design of Berghain (2003), has renovated a private apartment in Kreuzberg, Berlin, translating the club’s strict industrial language into a warm, liveable setting. Designed as the Berlin base for an American couple, the home balances semi-transparent glass bricks, stainless steel, and deep, atmospheric darkness, echoing the contrasts that define the city’s most iconic nightlife venue.

At the centre of the apartment, a curved glass block wall anchors the communal area and becomes the project’s strongest architectural gesture. Positioned between the entrance and the lounge, it filters daylight through the apartment, creating a shifting, diffused glow while still maintaining privacy and spatial separation. The designers describe the effect as “semi-transparent,” where glass blocks create soft light play and layered depth rather than complete visual openness.

This sculptural wall also sets the tone for the interior’s custom-built elements. A low, crimson-red sofa wraps around the curve, supported by a stainless steel base that extends into integrated side-table surfaces on both ends. In front of it, petrol-green translucent glass coffee tables sit on a circular rug, reinforcing the project’s tactile, “collage-like” material approach, a mix of glossy, soft, cold, and velvety textures placed intentionally to build atmosphere.

To unify the home, Studio Karhard selected terrazzo flooring, described as a “high-quality, timeless accent” that ties the contrasting surfaces together. The flooring acts as a neutral foundation for the bolder finishes, while keeping the overall space clean, architectural, and distinctly Berlin.

In the open-plan kitchen and dining area, the glass brick language continues, transitioning into floor-to-ceiling stainless steel cabinetry with untreated brass alcoves. The steel reinforces a functional, industrial aesthetic reminiscent of power-plant architecture, a clear reference to Berghain’s DNA, while the brass introduces a warmer counterpoint that keeps the apartment from feeling too severe.

Not every room prioritises brightness. Studio Karhard deliberately designed certain spaces to feel darker and more intimate, like quiet corners of a nightclub. The all-metal powder room is one of the most dramatic moments: its partially gridded ceiling and thin strip lighting create a controlled, cinematic glow above a brutalist-style sink. Even the bedroom leans into immersion, with matte black walls and charcoal bedding forming a cocoon-like retreat.

The bathroom continues the same mood-driven approach, using the glass brick wall as a shared boundary and placing a gleaming black bathtub at the centre, accented with built-in yellow lighting, a bold, nightclub-like highlight that feels both graphic and architectural.

The photography is by Robert Rieger.