How 2 Designers Made a Cozy, Clutter-Free Home in 481 Square Feet

Samantha Weiss-Hills
Updated

To Talitha and Michael Bainbridge, the highest compliment someone could pay their flat in Southwestern Germany is that it looks bigger in pictures. At only 481 square feet, it’s close quarters—but that’s just why the Bainbridges chose it. Talitha and Michael are the designers behind ZWEI Design, a small interior and home object design studio nestled in a corner of Germany affectionately (and appropriately!) called Dreiländereck (which means "tripoint") because it’s situated at the intersection of Switzerland, Germany, and France. It’s the region where Talitha grew up, before going to the U.S. to study in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she met Michael, a born-and-bred Midwesterner. When they moved together to Germany—only 15 minutes from design mecca Basel, Switzerland—seven years ago and were looking for a place to call their own, the couple was intrigued by the tiny countryside home, mostly because of the rare garden attached to it. (It’s atypical for flats in Germany to have a garden, Michael says, because of the price of land.) The apartment checked off all the boxes they were looking for at the time—affordable, modern layout, easy to grow into, that garden space—so they jumped at the chance.

<h1 class="title">Blauenblick 38.pages</h1>

Blauenblick 38.pages

To Talitha and Michael, the most important aspect of designing their home was to consider how to minimize any physical and visual clutter. “When you’re restricted to such a small space, you have to think about decisions carefully,” Michael said. Talitha added that they used the concept of zoning—dedicating areas to specific purposes—to define the 217 square feet of main living space in the flat, which includes a living room, dining room, and kitchen all wrapped up in one. The space constraints are actually what led them to begin designing their own line of home objects and furniture: lamps, hooks, pillows, even side tables and coffee tables. These pieces compliment their other classic European design choices like the Ligne Roset Togo sofa, Knoll Saarinen Tulip table, and Knoll Wassily chair. The use of color accents here and there—purple and black to highlight a fireplace facade, dove grey to create a focal point in the hallway—was all about height and drawing the eye up (and are an easy swap, as well, if they’re feeling over the hues). Maximizing light with mirrors and a majority of Dreiländereck was pretty important for keeping things bright, too, with only one window and one set of French doors in the whole flat. For themselves and ZWEI Design’s clients, Talitha and Michael use interior design as a way to add a layer of design instead of spinning a whole new tale for a space—letting the architecture, whatever it has to say, speak for itself. “My favorite thing to say is to lean into things,” Michael explained. ”If it’s something that isn’t perfect, lean into it until you make that thing a design masterpiece.”

11 Ways to Make a Clutter-Free Home in 481 Square Feet

Despite the fact that the kitchen, dining, and living areas in Talitha and Michael Bainbridge's 481-square-foot flat in Southern Germany butt right up against one another, they feel completely different. (Combined, these three spaces together take up only 217 square feet—so adding a wall between them wouldn't make much sense.) The soothing, organic lines of the Saarinen Tulip table and Thonet chairs in the dining area contrast the rigid lines of the kitchen cabinets and appliances.
Above the headboard in their bedroom, simple horizontal wires are strung with art, notes, postcards, and more—eliminating messy stacks and adding decoration that can be switched at will.

  1. Pin-Up Wires

Above the headboard in their bedroom, simple horizontal wires are strung with art, notes, postcards, and more—eliminating messy stacks and adding decoration that can be switched at will.
A detail of the Bainbridge's bedside table, which is also reflected in a mirrored wall along one side of the room (further brightening up the small space).

  1. A Mirror Wall

A detail of the Bainbridge's bedside table, which is also reflected in a mirrored wall along one side of the room (further brightening up the small space).
A reading nook employs a Wassily Chair from Knoll and ZWEI Design Coat Discs, which float almost flush against the wall behind it. (And if the chair is occupied, might you just plop down on that cushy, mustardy rug? We’d say so.)
The long, lush velvet curtain to the right brings the eyes up and frames a major source of light for the flat: French doors that open onto the garden. “Our whole world is dictated by harsh angles, and we always feel best connected to nature. It allows us to feel rooted, it’s our way to counteract that harshness,” Michael says. Two globe lamps hanging over the dining table keep those soft, natural lines going, even as your eyes turn up.
At this stage in their design aesthetic, Talitha and Michael are really drawn to colors and textures even though Talitha normally describes herself as a ‘non-color person’. “Unexpectedly, I feel very comfortable in color,” she says. The main wall color of white in the living room allows the space to stay bright while pops of purple, black, grey, and green stand out. ZWEI Design's B-A-L Coffee Table adds a sculptural, yet functional surface to the room as well.
Details that might be over-designed in other kitchens—handles, sinks, countertops—were not the main focus of Talitha and Michael. They wanted this room to fade into the background of the dining and living spaces, since there are no walls between them, though they did add a few playful accents in the Michael Graves tea kettle and the La Pavoni espresso maker.
Talitha and Michael chose to install a large, floor-to-ceiling wardrobe—a PAX system from IKEA—to keep clutter out of sight in the entryway. Another Wassily Chair and a Vitra Occasional Table make for a quick place to put on shoes or drop keys, while the grey wall near the door elongates the space. One of ZWEI Design’s AC Globe Table Lamps hangs out next to the chair for soft lighting.
Talitha and Michael’s bedroom gets the most light of the whole flat as it’s where the one other window is located, which faces east. A warm grey wall color accentuates the small room, making it even more cozy. Accents from their line abound: a piece of Silk Art is hung behind the bedside Occasional Table, which has an AC Globe Table Lamp resting atop it; their pillows dot the bed.
The bathroom employs simple fixtures and white walls, and a few floating shelves that lay flush against the left side of the mirror for extra bits and bobs. The convenient ledge that edges the entire bathroom is typical of German bathrooms—it’s where all the pipes are!
It was important to the Bainbridges to find low-slung furniture to populate their space. A plush, emerald green Ligne Roset Togo Sofa, complimented by pillows of their own design, keeps the line of sight clear of obstacles.