H F S 2 9
is an ongoing project.
I was searching almost two years to find an apartment that could accommodate my office, my studio and my private life. I have tried renting an external space, but didn't work for me. This apartment is located at the center of Frankfurt am Main. It is next to the Central Rail Station and the river Main, which I love and visit almost everyday with my dog.
This type of building is called an 'Altbau' which in German means 'Old-structure'. Most of them are built between the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Our apartment is on the fourth floor, with no elevator, but with great vistas to compensate.
It is fully renovated, sadly not by me, but I am thankful that they kept some of its charm, such as the magnificent entrance doors. They've also kept the rest of the old internal doors, which gives a sabi feel in the interiors. The ceilings remain relatively high, although they're not the original. The ceiling-high windows offer beautiful views of the impressionistic German sky and serve us with endless variation of light. I would have loved the original wide wooden floor slabs and chess tiles in the bathroom, as well as the free standing bathtub in the bathroom, but when we rented the apartment it was already too late for me to salvage anything. Nevertheless, as an overall impression, the apartment still has its charm plus a modernized clean look.
The interiors have been kept basic, the walls are white with accents of black-white, grey, off-white and gold-silver. The aim is to use the apartment as an exhibition space for openings, as my architectural office, my painting studio and also as a living space for me, my husband and our dog.
It is a challenge but not impossible. The plan is to use the walls to exhibit my paintings and the rest of the space as a show room for furniture and special items that I like to collect.