CARLO Design plans Altbau apartments in Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf and houses in Westend and Grunewald: layout, built-ins, lighting and furniture, with conversion, permits and site management where needed. Our studio is in Berlin Mitte; in the district we have designed, among others, the A Luminous Leaf apartment in Wilmersdorf and Brasserie le Paris on Kurfürstendamm.
The district has two very different kinds of home: Altbau apartments, Berlin’s classic period flats, in historic buildings such as A Luminous Leaf in Wilmersdorf, and villa districts. The borough calls Westend one of Berlin’s oldest villa areas, and the Grunewald villa colony was laid out from 1889, as Kurfürstendamm became a boulevard. According to the city’s official valuation board, Grunewald now has Berlin’s highest price level for detached and two-family houses.
On Kurfürstendamm we designed Brasserie le Paris in the Maison de France, in bordeaux, petrol and aubergine. We come out to you from Mitte, where Andrea Tomasena leads the Berlin studio. With some of our carpenters, stuccoists and parquet specialists we have worked for over a decade.
We start with the building and with the rules that apply at your address: depending on the location, Milieuschutz, a preservation ordinance or heritage protection.
Layout, kitchen, bathrooms, built-ins and lighting for apartments in historic buildings, keeping stucco, floorboards and herringbone parquet where they exist. In a Milieuschutz area we check what the borough will approve before design and plan within that frame.
Altbau renovation in BerlinRenovation, conversion and interiors for houses with gardens. In Westend a preservation ordinance measures roof form, windows, colour and boundary walls against the houses built up to 1945, and a listed building also needs heritage consent. We file the building permit application under our own permit signature.
Architect in BerlinA furnishing concept for each room, made-to-measure wardrobes and bookcases, lighting and textiles. We order, bundle the deliveries and style the home until you can move in.
Interior furnishing in BerlinWhich rules apply here depends heavily on the address. Two apartments a few streets apart can be treated quite differently, so we check this first.
The borough has designated nine Milieuschutz areas, which protect the existing residents, among them Klausenerplatz, Karl-August-Platz, Richard-Wagner-Straße, Brabanter Platz and Hochmeisterplatz. There every modernisation needs approval, for occupied and empty apartments alike, whoever owns them.
Under Berlin’s criteria, as a rule: no unnecessary layout changes, no merging or splitting of apartments, no second WC, no elaborate bathroom renovation, no balconies over 4 square metres. A first bathroom in standard finish, by contrast, is usually approved.
Since 2000 it has protected the villa area around Branitzer Platz, Lindenplatz and Ahornplatz. Building changes there need approval even where they would otherwise be permit-free. The benchmark is the houses built up to 1945, above all those from 1871 to 1918.
Then every building change to its appearance or fabric needs heritage consent from the borough, agreed with the state heritage office. Damaged parts are then reconstructed rather than replaced, which we build into the schedule and budget from the start.
Risers and other parts of the building often belong to all owners. Anything that touches common property needs a resolution, and we plan it into the schedule as a fixed date.
Then four short questions. We reply within one working day, with no obligation. We speak English, German and Spanish.
Across our two studios, most of our new work comes through recommendations from past clients. 5.0 stars on Google, 5 reviews for our Berlin studio.
"After speaking with them, I knew I didn't need to look elsewhere. Thrilled with the result, highly recommend."
"They gave us excellent advice and ensured smooth implementation with their craftsmen."
"They quickly grasped my taste, found the perfect products, and arranged appointments."
"Tell us about your property, your timeline, what you are hoping for. We will come to you, listen, and present a concept and a realistic cost estimate, before you commit to anything."
We come to you · One project slot remaining for autumn 2026
