The custom-designed house is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between two female-led design firms whose respective areas of expertise are perfectly complementary. Ester Bruzkus designed all the interiors for the house with her Berlin-based firm Bruzkus Greenberg. In contrast, the architectural volume and exteriors were designed by Anna Philipp and her team at Philipp Architekten, which has three offices in Germany and Switzerland.
- Interior Design
The collaboration between Bruzkus Greenberg and Philipp Architekten results in a house with careful attention to every scale: cozy corners and sweeping views of the landscape through monumentally scaled glass windows that blend inside and out.
The interior revolves around a sculptural white steel stair that spirals up and connects all four levels. The clean and planar steel is complemented by the warm woods and colors of the private quarters. The result is a stunning play of materials, shapes, and colors, mixing warm and cool, defining “opulent minimalism.”
The ground level is the social and open part of the house. A generous living and dining room opens to a suite of kitchen spaces – a cooking kitchen, a preparation area, as well as a “coffee kitchen” with a cozy built-in seating nook by the window. Surrounding the living/dining area are expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the outside in and expand one’s sense of space beyond the architectural walls.
The ground floor is connected to the upper floor via two double-height spaces: one houses the sculptural staircase, and the other links the living/dining area to the private quarters. The primary bedroom suite surrounds this double-height space with areas for sleeping, bathing, and separate wardrobes for the owners.
At the center of the house, the pink wardrobe is designed like a personal luxury boutique. The client works in the fashion industry, so this wardrobe is the playful heart of the house. The design features distinctive losange-shaped mirrors and shelving, oversized custom handles, and a plush pink carpet.
- Architecture
A beautiful, idyllic natural landscape of ancient, gnarled fruit trees, meadows left to grow wild and free, and an aging garden pavilion defines the property, transforming it into a unique refuge – far removed from Stuttgart’s urban clamor and the surrounding developments.
From the very first visit, the garden – magical in its storybook charm – became the heart of the future owner’s vision and, from then on, the center of the design concept. The ambition was to create a modern home where the enchantment of the garden could be experienced throughout, fusing old and new into a sanctuary that shields itself as much as possible from the outside world.
Stringent planning regulations and building codes – such as the mandatory pitched roof, extremely narrow building boundaries and rigid eaves height specifications – required the highest level of professional expertise and execution, from the earliest planning stages through to construction and completion.
In a wonderfully harmonious collaboration, the offices of Ester Bruzkus and Anna Philipp created an extraordinary bespoke residence that deliberately shields itself from the street and neighboring buildings, while opening up towards the garden in a seamless dialogue with nature.
No detail was considered in isolation; every scale – from intimate alcoves designed as retreats, to expansive views framed by monumental panes of glass – was carefully interwoven. The connection between architecture and nature is integral to the design, with the interior and exterior flowing into one another without boundaries.
