Soothing Tones Create A Lovely Home In Germany
Sometimes I look through the homes we feature here at Design*Sponge, and a color that a homeowner selected — or the light that streams into the room in the photo I’m looking at — invokes a certain feeling within me. It’s like hearing a song that instantly transports me to a time or place in my life. Such is the case with the home of Daniela Schinke, a teacher and blogger based in Kassel, Germany, that she shares with her husband and her two youngest children. I look at the pictures of Daniela’s home and suddenly I hear the beautiful piano playing of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, an Ethiopian nun. The muted tones of the home blend together from one room to the next like a well composed song, tying each hue together seamlessly.
Dating back to the 1880s, the house was formerly part of an old monastery complex that was partly destroyed during World War II. Once rebuilt, two rooms ended up with slightly higher ceilings in addition to some very low-height rooms. Based in a small district within Kassel, Daniela shares this about her rented home of now 19 years: “We live close to fields and meadows. We always say we live in a village in the middle of the city. The infrastructure is very good and you can do everything on foot. Cafes, shopping and the tram are practically on the doorstep. [We can find ourselves] in nature […] in two minutes; Here we also have a beautiful, wild allotment. Our district has been incorporated very late and impresses with its originality and the many half-timbered houses. Many young families want to live here, so the housing market here is very rare.”
After previously living a short time in a more newly constructed flat, Daniela realized that it didn’t work for her needs — she values a home with history and patina. “[This current] apartment was in a very bad condition and was not nice when I moved in, but she had potential,” Daniela reflects. “We changed and renovated a lot when I moved to it; on the beautiful old floorboards stuck dark grey carpet and the floorboards had to be freed from ‘ox blood.’ The old doors and skirting boards were all freshly painted and the kitchen completely redesigned; Here, PVC stuck in the tile design on the walls. We partly designed the kitchen ourselves and built it together with a friend. At that time, we partly used the old kitchen furniture and varnished it (and now white again). Also the tiles and the floor in the kitchen received a freshness cure.”
“I love to decorate my apartment regularly and to renovate it every once in a while,” Daniela continues. “So I paint every now and then the walls in other colors.” Scroll below to get a beautiful peek at Daniela’s home, in its current state, before she makes one of the frequent changes that she tends to make around the house. Follow her on Instagram to see what changes she makes next in her home. —Erin
Photography by Daniela Schinke
Image above: “I enjoy change, playing with colors, beautiful pictures; I love to discover old furniture and to combine it with beautiful, simple design pieces. A mix of old and new embodies for me more personality in living than a uniform look. When setting up [a home, these factors are] important to me: color harmony, joy of trying and especially [making it feel livable]… This is not an exhibition space, but a home! ” Daniela shares.


















Wow! This home is so pleasing to the eyes! Just perfect! I want the nine year old daughter’s bedroom for my own!
What a charming place! Would love to see a floorplan and to know more about rental practices in Kassel: is it typical to do so much remodeling in a rental? Does Daniella simply have a very lenient landlord (and a lucky one, to have such a tenant)? Is the lease renewed yearly?
It’s typical throughout Germany. Leases are very rarely fixed term.
Hi Reba, normally, the lease for a rental in Germany is unlimited, time wise I mean. Therefore, and as the tenant’s rights are far better in Germany than in the US or in UK, buying is much less common and many people live in rentals their whole life. Of course, still many people buy, but especially among intellectuals and artists buying is not the most aspired people save up for, I guess. And as long as you don’t damage anything you are allowed to remodel a lot in German rentals. Landlords* are mostly grateful if you take good care of their houses and apartments. Greetings from Bremen, North Germany! Jo
I’m late to the party, but this interior felt like a serene dream. Is it still possible to learn the origin of the pink chair? Thanks so much for a lovely moment!
Wonderfully see you then, yes! And I really love those wallpapers! This is definitely a sanctuary!
Such a beautiful home. The girls’ bedrooms are just gorgeous! I am also very grateful to see the William Morris Acanthus wallpaper on a wall. I’ve been thinking about doing a feature wall in my entry with another WM wallpaper called Golden Lily but I had the opportunity to see it on a wall recently and while it’s gorgeous it is also very busy. I also have acanthus growing just outside my front door so it’s totally appropriate. Thank you!
I am so not into pinkish (although this is more like a nude colour) but the apartment is so lovely!
Looking at these interiors, I felt my blood pressure dropping. How lovely! As previously mentioned, it is surprising to have your heartstrings tugged as if this is your own memory.
Beautiful home! It is so peaceful and the colors make my heart sing. I would love to know the source of the colored kitchen tiles in the kitchen.