Home tour | An airy Altbau apartment in Berlin

Today I’m taking you to Berlin for a look around the beautiful home of American designer and creative Rebecca Goddard. The Altbau (period-build) apartment that she shares with her husband is a stunning mix of old and new, with soaring ceilings, parquet floors and lots of natural light. I love the way she’s kept pieces to a minimum, creating a calm and airy feel while also showcasing the many original features, but what appeals to me most is her considered, intentional approach to furnishing and accessorising it. Although the property is a rental and the couple intend to move on to a larger place at some point in the future, Rebecca focuses on choosing items with purpose and longevity – items that bring value to the space in which they sit, and that can be loved and used both now and in years to come. What’s more, she sources as much as she can secondhand, trawling vintage shops and classifieds before contemplating buying anything ‘new’.

Over to Rebecca herself for more…

Hi Rebecca! Please can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

“I’m an American designer, creative and forever expat. I moved to Germany with my (German) husband a few years ago and I’ve been freelancing ever since. My background is in industrial design and I worked for several years in the furniture industry as a product development engineer and designer. Now, I work independently in all types of creative capacities, with a focus on design and interiors. Currently, I’m helping to bring a young sustainable brand called FORESTA to the market — we’re launching their first interiors collection that I’ve designed later this summer! I also author a lifestyle blog called RG Daily, where I share articles about design-focused living, style and travel, as well as creating stories and content for brands who share my zeal for conscious living and aesthetics. And sometimes I work with clients in Berlin on small interiors consultations and styling projects. I like to be busy!”

Where’s home, and how long have you lived there?

“Right now my husband and I live in Berlin. We’ve been here for almost two years but we only moved into our current Altbau in Prenzlauer Berg at the start of 2020. Berlin is a super-dynamic city and it took me a bit of time to settle in, but I really love our neighbourhood and apartment. It’s really the first time I’ve felt at home since leaving the US almost three years ago.”

Natural textures, earthy colours and wispy grasses feature throughout the apartment, here softening the clean lines and minimalist seating in the living area. A large rug adds cosiness and definition to the open-plan space. 

Have you made many changes since moving in?

“Since we’re renting, we haven’t done any big renovations. Before we moved in, I spent a few days fixing all the cracks and holes in the walls, and then we had it all freshly painted. We hadn’t planned on doing much else, but I got a bit restless over the last few months and decided to take on a few more DIY projects! I painted the trim and woodwork throughout, and my husband and I painted the double-layered windows and balcony doors. I also spent quite some time polishing the original brass handles — I couldn’t believe how much charm and beauty was hidden beneath layers of messy paint and decades of oxidation!”

How would you describe your interiors style?

“Harmony is really important to me, both visually and as a feeling around me. I think our home is a reflection of that, and the result is an interior that’s calming, light, and a mix of classic and contemporary. I would for sure consider myself a minimalist, and I gain a lot of mental clarity when details are sparse and there’s not too much to overwhelm the eye. I try to create a stylistic blend in our home and bring together pieces that I find interesting but also functional. I love combining all types of materials, and while you won’t find many patterns or prints, everywhere you look there are natural materials and different textures. I think they give the space character and warmth in a really subtle way, without being super-deliberate — nothing really screams for your attention and I like that. Stone, glass, wood, linen, wool, brass, iron, velvet, ceramic, shells – they’re all harmoniously here.”

The bedroom is airy and understated, with calming tones of white and beige. Rebecca has plans to create a reading nook in front of the window.

Where do you find inspiration for your home?

“I find a lot of inspiration online of course, via Instagram and Pinterest. And like all good design enthusiasts, I have my fair share of interiors magazines to page through. Beyond that, I’ve always found a lot of inspiration through our travels and exploring new places. My husband and I love travelling and seeing how people’s living styles are shaped by their surroundings, climate and culture. I’m looking forward to being able to do that again when the world is a bit healthier!”

What’s your favourite part of your home and why?

“I’m obsessed with the old architectural features of our apartment. The first time we saw it, I instantly fell in love with the wonderfully tall and decorative ceilings, the beautiful rosettes, the double-layered windows and the herringbone parquet flooring. It’s pretty much my dream interior, and even though the place is old and wonky, it’s full of character and charm. Apartments like ours hardly exist in the country where I’m from, so to live here now feels a bit surreal and magical. I only wish it was a bit bigger so we could stay here forever!”

Rebecca was immediately drawn to the apartment’s beautiful period features, which include corniced ceilings (here offset brilliantly by a minimalist ‘Miira’ pendant light from Nuura), tall windows and doors, and brass handles that she’s polished and restored. 

And your favourite piece of furniture?

“Oh, that’s not an easy question to answer! I really love all the items we have because many tell a little story, or were a splurge to celebrate a life accomplishment or milestone. I particularly love our marble dining table, though. It was the first piece of furniture my husband and I bought when I moved to Germany with him. I found it secondhand in Hamburg’s classified ads and just had to have it. I saw a similar one in France while we were living there for a few months, and I love how classic the style is and how hard-wearing the materials are. I like to imagine that many cups of coffee and glasses of wine were shared over that little table before it came to us, and we’re now adding to that history. It’s really too small for a dining table, but it’s a piece we’ll always have a place for — perhaps in my future home office or in our future garden.”

Where do you like to source items for your home?

“I really love looking for secondhand pieces. I’ve spent a lot of time searching for interesting vintage shops and have discovered a few hidden gems, especially in our old neighbourhood of Wedding, which still has many undiscovered treasure-troves. I really hate the throwaway culture I’ve been seeing more of in interiors — in many ways it doesn’t feel that far removed from the fashion industry. If we’re in need of something, I always scout the secondhand shops or classifieds before I buy new. Practically all of our vases and glassware were found that way, as were our wire HAY ‘Hee’ chairs, Thonet-style bent-wood chairs, marble tables and large mirrors. I always joke that I’ve ‘willed myself’ these things, because they just seem to come to me. But the truth is I’m diligent at looking and patient at waiting for things I love — things I know we’ll keep for a long time.”

The marble-topped dining table is one of Rebecca’s favourite pieces. It’s secondhand, as are the Thonet-style chairs and many other items in the apartment. The wall lamp is by Swedish brand Pholc, and its sleek geometric lines contrast with the table’s classical style.

Do you have any future plans for your home?

“I’m always rearranging little thing around the apartment, so it’s never really ‘finished’. But right now I feel super-settled and can’t imagine changing much else. That’s partly because we don’t have much space to work with, and I feel like we have each area situated nicely. But I like the idea of hanging a few small pieces of art, and we want to find a more comfortable chair for the bedroom so that we can create a cosy little reading corner in front of the bay window.”

Finally, what’s your top interior-design tip?

“Free yourself from the things you don’t actually love, and only keep objects around you that make you feel happy. When I moved from the US to Germany I had to get rid of 80% of my belongings, and it forced me to say goodbye to a bunch of stuff I was just hanging onto because I had spent money on it, because someone had given it to me or simply because it was there. I understand just how mentally tiresome it can be to go through the process of weeding out what truly brings value to your life, but it’s so very freeing. It creates room to enjoy other things — people, your time, the little unnoticed details of your home — and it gives you more capacity to appreciate the things you do have.”

Thanks Rebecca!

See more of Rebecca’s inspiring home and creative work on her blog and Instagram feed. 

All photography by Rebecca Goddard