Two years ago, in October 2016, Selina and her boyfriend (and 5 year old dog, Gordin) renovated their one bedroom apartment in Mitte, Berlin, transforming it into a true blend of modern style furnishings and classic original features. Unbelievably, it only took them three months and they did it all by themselves. Selina’s home features a mixture of independent brands including Kai Linke, Mad et Len, DCW Éditions, Gurilla, Cooee Design, alongside well-known favourites Alessi, Knoll, Flos, Hay, Normann Copenhagen, Menu and Hem.

“For me, the theory is always ‘less is more’. I like the idea of designing, building or recreating my own furniture with a mix of designer pieces. There, you have a perfect combination of affordable and expensive investments. I do a lot of searching for second-hand design classics because of their good quality they do not really age and sometimes you can get some pretty good deals.” says Selina.

In the living room, the parquet flooring, molded cornice and panelled doors are stand out original features, but they took work.  Selina and her boyfriend spent hours sanding down the existing wooden floors to reveal their hidden beauty – time well spent as it brings real warmth and character to the space. The architectural elements are painted in the same colour and finish, which accentuates the architectural language beneath, complimented by Matisse’s Nadine print prominently in the room.

Singing with comfort and minimalist living, Selina’s bedroom allows space to relax and breathe. Linen bedding is an essential item as Selina often switches up the styling in this space to suit their changing requirements – with different bedside tables, table lamps and objects. She believes you can only ‘feel’ if something works when you try it out for a while, especially in a space as important as the bedroom, where it directly affects your wellbeing.

The kitchen offers warmth to the apartment using tan-based tones in two finishes – both in paint above the shelving and wooden base units. This is offset with black accents with Kai Linke’s Blasted KL1 pendant lamp and Iittala’s Alvar Aalto vase. In this room, Selina decided to replace the original tiles with a new concrete floor, which flows through to the apartment’s bathroom offering a seamless transition. And what kitchen could be complete without Noma’s ‘Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine’ cookbook?

GET THE LOOK

Check out Selina’s work and blog and follow her on Instagram.