Office E, Berlin

Set in…

a historical building in the prestigious Berlin neighborhood of Kurfürstendamm, Maria Murawsky Architecture was tasked with creating office space fit for a young team of workers. Infusing modernist furniture, exquisite objects and minimalist detail into 300 square meters of classical interiors and combining a restrained material palette and a selection of furniture, equal parts timeless and obscure, Murawsky creates a bold contemporary office space to perfectly complete its brief.

A white…

washed interior, ornate frescoes and elaborate moldings demand attention as one enters the main lounge where a pair of late 20th c. style lounge chairs, a contemporary coffee table, and a minimalist sofa create the perfect tension inside the historical setting. Here, a timeless herringbone parquet grounds the space while a 1959 Jorge Zalszupin tea trolley and a pair of contemporary Allied Maker wall sconces serve to further bridge the chasm of style and era.

A certain…

exactitude and disciplined material palette mark Murawsky’s work. This becomes evident as one moves through the office’s enfilade of rooms. Beginning in the lounge area, a fluted Calacatta bar continues the visual through line begun with a marble fireplace and coffee table in the main lounge area and oversized white marble table in the meeting room. A similar thread emerges in the lighting story – as a large smoke glass Roll & Hill Modo chandelier in the meeting room dialogues with a series of similarly smoked Roll & HIll Castle pendants in the adjacent office spaces. Caramel leather, rich woods, and and crisp black accents serve to further round out the language of the space.

Precision…

is a design mantra of Murawsky, whose designs are rooted in practicality, geometry, symmetry, and a rigorous attention to detail, softened by a love of light. The decision to utilize modern and contemporary furnishings and a restricted palette arose from the need to imbue the original, classical interiors with a more youthful, relaxed ambience. The end result recalls the Bauhaus movement, which was grounded in the idea of creating a gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, where everything from architecture to door handles was painstakingly considered.

As one…

ventures into the more private office spaces, Murawsky’s love of Brazilian design re-emerges with a second Jorge Zalszupin piece – a sinuously curved 1960s Onda bench – gorgeously contrasting with the linear, stark white USM office furnishings.

In the…

bathroom, one is enveloped in an almost cave-like ambience, where chiseled marble tiles provide a textured backdrop to smooth, monolithic washbasins from Salvatori. The ubiquitous stone is accented minimally by backlit lozenge-shaped mirrors and brass Cocoon tap fittings by Piet Boon.

While…

many would find such a historically-laden space a challenge, Murawsky’s restrained color palette, sensitivity to texture, and eclectic assemblage of furnishings triumphs – successfully celebrating modern contemporary design while allowing the past to sing.