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This Cologne apartment tour explores how Antonia Osswald and her boyfriend, Gabriel, made a 67-square-meter home feel personal and practical. Set in a 100-year-old building, their apartment combines original architectural details, mid-century furniture, and thoughtful ways to use a compact space.
A Cologne Apartment Tour with Character
The apartment’s large windows bring natural light into the home, while a generous doorway connects the bedroom and living room. The bedroom’s herringbone floor is as old as the building, giving the space a distinctive period detail. Rather than relying on a single style, Antonia and Gabriel mix mid-century pieces—many inherited from their grandparents—with a mostly gray palette and occasional touches of color.
Several items are handmade or upcycled, adding character without requiring a completely matched furniture set. For a small home, this approach can be useful: choosing pieces with personal meaning and adapting what is already available can help a room feel cohesive while keeping it individual.
Making a Bedroom Work as a Home Office
The bedroom also serves as a shared home office, with separate desks for Antonia and Gabriel. This dual-purpose arrangement makes efficient use of the available floor area. Keeping workstations distinct can help two people share a room more comfortably, even when the room needs to serve several functions.
A small balcony is accessible from the bedroom and has room for two people. When the weather is pleasant, the couple use it for breakfast or a barbecue. In the evenings, they usually spend time together in the living room. The kitchen also doubles as a place to work, conveniently close to the coffee machine. In a compact apartment, using different areas for different activities can make everyday routines more flexible.
Vintage Finds and Personal Details
One of Antonia’s favorite features is a set of three-string shelves. She found them among old belongings at her grandfather’s home, where she often discovers objects that can be reused in her apartment. The shelves show how secondhand and family pieces can add both storage and a personal story to an interior.
When adapting vintage furniture, it helps to consider the item’s size and condition before deciding where it will go. A few distinctive finds can make a room feel considered without overcrowding it.
Renovating the Apartment Over Time
Antonia and Gabriel have lived in the apartment for four years. At first, each brought their own belongings, and the rooms did not yet have a unified plan. Over time, they replaced older items and developed a clearer direction for the space. Last year, they renovated the entire apartment.
The largest project was a walk-in closet in the bedroom. Planning storage around the way a room is used can make a renovation more practical, especially when space is limited. After the updates, Antonia says the home feels much more like her own. The result reflects the couple’s gradual process: combining inherited furniture, original features, and improvements made to suit their daily lives.
Final Thoughts on This Cologne Apartment Tour
This Cologne apartment tour offers practical inspiration for making a smaller home feel personal: preserve distinctive original details, give rooms more than one purpose, and mix older furniture with carefully planned updates. Antonia and Gabriel’s 67-square-meter apartment shows how a home can evolve over time to better fit the people who live in it.
