Glassbrick Apartment: Studio Karhard X berghain

Glassbrick Apartment: Studio Karhard Brings Berghain Brutalism into Kreuzberg Living

From Club Culture to Private Living

Few architects are as synonymous with Berlin’s cultural mythology as Studio Karhard. Twenty years ago, founders Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard gave shape to Berghain, the world’s most famous nightclub, and in doing so defined an architectural language of raw materiality and atmospheric intensity. Two decades later, that same aesthetic unexpectedly informed a private commission: an apartment in Kreuzberg for an American couple seeking a Berlin base.

“It was quite clear they liked the nightclub’s technical, brutal atmosphere, which you wouldn’t typically expect in a private home,” Karsten recalls. “So, we tried to convert that into a cosy place to live in.”

Project photography, Robert Rieger

The initial brief focused on storage improvements and a larger kitchen for entertaining, but it quickly escalated. Once the architects began sketching, it was evident that the two-room plan couldn’t meet expectations. “They needed a separate sleeping room and workspace,” Karsten explains. “So, the challenge was to make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment.”

The solution was radical: a complete gut renovation, restructuring the plan to deliver flexibility, flow, and atmosphere without compromising comfort.

The Curved Glass Brick Wall: A Defining Feature

At the heart of the new layout sits a dramatic intervention: a curved glass brick wall that divides the entrance from the living space without sacrificing light. Far from being a cold partition, the wall is illuminated from within, creating a glowing architectural spine that sets the mood for the entire apartment.

“This was one of the first ideas to deal with light,” Karsten says. “The glass bricks are also illuminated from within, and the ambient light wall gives the whole place a character not typical of a Berlin-style building.”

This design move crystallises the project’s key ambition, to balance the brutal atmosphere of Berghain with a domestic warmth that makes it liveable.

A Lighting Concept Shaped by Atmosphere

Studio Karhard conceived the apartment as a series of light scenes, alternating between bright, open spaces and darker, more immersive areas. This echoes Berlin nightlife but is carefully tuned for residential living.

The most audacious example is the powder room, nicknamed “mystic” for its surreal qualities. Here, a metal grid ceiling meets indirect lighting that can shift in colour, transporting occupants into a techno-club fantasy. “One of the first ideas was adding a fog machine to this space,” Karsten laughs. “This tiny room is indicative of the futuristic theme throughout.”

Lighting, both functional and ambient, becomes a material, creating atmosphere and visual rhythm across the home.

Material Choices: Berlin Brutalism Meets Milanese Luxury

The apartment’s interiors are defined by a bold yet refined material palette. Terrazzo flooring by Terrazzowerker lays a timeless foundation, while walls finished in cement-free natural lime plaster add warmth and regulate the indoor climate. A curved glass brick wall by Room Division serves as both partition and light installation, casting an atmospheric glow.

In the kitchen, stainless steel and untreated brass surfaces create an industrial edge, softened by tactile contrasts such as a natural stone washbasin from Huber Naturstein and Kvadrat-upholstered seating. Bespoke metal and carpentry by PlanB Works, Kyiv add precision detailing, complemented by a HAND Hifi soundsystem integrated into the space. Finishing touches come from an elevated selection of international design houses, B&B Italia, Gemla, More, Cassina, Miniforms, Ferreira de Sá, Antonio Lupi, and Fantin, with a sculptural chandelier by Sabine Marcelis punctuating the space as a statement of contemporary design.

Thomas adds,"There are various shiny materials, ranging from steel to transparent materials like glass. They all have the same advantage: they reflect light, making a room appear larger. Small objects, such as a cabinet, a mirror, or a piece of art behind glass, can be enough. If you go for the original, for example, with an entire wall made of glass, you have even more advantages. (Semi-)transparent materials separate rooms without putting a "wall" in between. This way, you can give a room different functions without blocking out the light. Glass walls also create a backdrop that literally adds depth to a room and makes it more interesting. Another advantage: Shine draws the eye, so you can use it to draw the eye and create accents.”

Yet, balance was critical. “Glass and reflective materials like steel are cool materials that can make a room cold. So, you need to create a counterbalance, and as always, you do that with contrast. In this project, we used gypsum mortar with lime, leather-upholstered furniture, and seats and carpets in colourful fabrics. The dialogue between these materials brings a pleasant tension to your interior.”

The result is a dialogue between brutalism and luxury: terrazzo and steel meeting velvet and plaster, industrial severity softened by colour and texture. Karsten describes the effect as reminiscent of 1960s Milan, where glamour met restraint through strong materials.

Collaboration as Design Philosophy

Karsten is quick to emphasise that this distinctive outcome was born from the clients’ active role in the process. They didn’t just approve proposals but collaborated, shaping decisions alongside the architects.

“It was like a game of ping pong, they gave us creative freedom,” he reflects. “As architects, we don’t like to repeat ourselves. It would be easier to have a set of predefined design solutions, but as this apartment demonstrates, every project is unique. We work closely with craftspeople to find bespoke solutions, which involves extensive research—but that’s exactly how we like to work.”

This openness to experimentation extends beyond residential projects. Studio Karhard has also translated their nightclub sensibility into a dentist’s practice, designed with zero white elements, demonstrating their refusal to settle into predictable formulas.

Berlin Luxury for a New Generation

The Glassbrick Apartment is emblematic of a new kind of Berlin luxury. It rejects generic notions of comfort in favour of a design language that is unapologetically bold, deeply material-led, and culturally charged.

By reinterpreting the aesthetic DNA of Berghain into a domestic environment, Studio Karhard has shown how rawness and refinement can coexist. The result is an apartment that feels futuristic without being sterile, industrial without being harsh, and luxurious without being ostentatious.

For London and international readers alike, the project speaks to a broader shift in contemporary interiors: a demand for spaces that feel expressive, layered, and attuned to atmosphere as much as function.

Project Credits

Interior Design: Studio Karhard®
Lead Architects: Thomas Karsten & Alexandra Erhard
Collaborators: Jannick Naumann, Lutz Kneißl, Meta Popp
Photography: Robert Rieger