Grey, disciplined, and quietly exacting: OOW recasts a Berlin townhouse into a calm, gallery-grade refuge. Exposed concrete and honed terrazzo meet millimetre-true joints, concealed light and near-invisible fittings; storage is integrated so life can breathe. No gimmicks, no clutter — just precision that reads as warmth. The result is luxury by reduction: robust, low-maintenance spaces that put material, proportion and daily use ahead of ornament.
From the first conversation, the brief was clear and absolute: “We love concrete; we want a house reduced to the essentials.” Every object would have a permanent home so daily life could be meditative and uncluttered. We translated that ascetic intent into serenity and craft — controlled, precise, and quietly humane.
Execution carried the idea. A single joiner realised wall panelling, doors, built-ins and furniture from our 1:1 detail drawings: continuous shadow gaps; handleless openings using discreet finger pulls and fine leather tabs; and a flush swing door that aligns perfectly with the stair glazing before vanishing into a niche. Everything feels inevitable rather than performed.
Light is part of the palette — considered, proportioned, and precisely laid in. High-CRI LED tapes sit recessed in the slender perimeter joint between wall and ceiling and behind the stair stringer, giving the run a sculptural presence. The system is dimmable, deliberately offline, and operated with simple tactile switches. Edges read crisp; planes stay legible; the stair becomes a calm thread between levels.
The material language is reduced, not reductive. Exposed concrete — the clients’ declared love — sets a gallery-like tone. A light, honed marble terrazzo lifts the scheme, elegant yet robust for everyday use. The kitchen withdraws behind light-grey lacquered panels; all appliances are hidden, even the oven, which disappears behind a removable bespoke cover. Storage is folded into the fabric so living can breathe.
Acoustics — so often the weak point of minimalist rooms — are resolved in the background. Panelling hangs clear of the stud partitions, and the cavity absorbs energy. The room sounds as composed as it looks.
Upstairs, strict zoning eases into ordered openness. A full-height mirror grounds the walk-in wardrobe; a flush pivot door continues the line of the stair glazing and, when open, pockets cleanly into the wall. In the bathroom, materiality takes centre stage: a custom concrete bath, cast with a silky, tactile finish using acrylic formwork and sealed with beeswax. Above, carefully placed luminaires play across the water’s surface, sketching moving reflections over walls and ceiling — a quiet choreography that captures the project’s core: luxury by reduction.
