CARLO Design plans conversions, renovations and interiors for period apartments in Prenzlauer Berg. Most of the Pankow district’s social preservation areas (Milieuschutz) lie here, so before we design we establish what the district will approve and prepare the application with you. Our studio is on Christinenstraße, on the border of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. At Kollwitzplatz we designed the Les Beaux Pastels apartment.
The land around Kollwitzplatz belonged to the Deutsch-Holländischer Actien-Bauverein, which built rental blocks there. The square was laid out between 1885 and 1887, and the area around it came through the Second World War largely undamaged. Around Helmholtzplatz, Teutoburger Platz, Winsstraße and in the Bötzowviertel, too, the Senate reports the Gründerzeit fabric as almost entirely intact.
In the early 1990s many of these buildings were run down, with coal stoves and poor bathrooms. Today the apartments are among Berlin’s most expensive: according to the official valuation board, condominiums in the old district of Prenzlauer Berg averaged €6,300 per square metre in 2025 across 663 sales, against €5,017 citywide. Buyers who pay that much often want to make changes. Milieuschutz applies to exactly these alterations.
That way you know what the district will approve before any design work.
We check the Senate’s street list for your address, agree the project with the case officer and file the application with drawings, photos and quotes. Building starts only once approval is granted.
Altbau renovation in BerlinIn Gründerzeit buildings the existing risers usually decide where kitchen and bathroom go. We plan both so that services, floor build-up and the district’s criteria fit, and draw the elevations before any tile is ordered.
Kitchens in BerlinFurniture, lighting, fabrics, vintage pieces and bespoke work from Berlin workshops. Whatever involves no building work falls outside preservation approval, so here the decisions are yours alone.
Interior furnishing in BerlinThe criteria apply across Berlin; the application goes to the Pankow district office.
Pankow has 14 social preservation areas; in Prenzlauer Berg they include Arnimplatz, Falkplatz, Humannplatz, Ostseestraße/Grellstraße, Helmholtzplatz, Kollwitzplatz, Teutoburger Platz, Winsstraße, Bötzowstraße and Danziger Straße Ost. Kollwitzplatz, Helmholtzplatz, Teutoburger Platz and Winsstraße have applied in their current form since 1 July 2014.
A description of the works, photos and quotes for materials and installation. A single apartment needs an extra form: plans with demolition in yellow and new work in red, floor finishes with their price per square metre, the U-value of new windows and every sanitary fitting before and after. The district recommends talking to the case officer first.
Under Berlin’s 2026 criteria: an eat-in kitchen created by removing walls, a different number of rooms, a double vanity or a basin of 80 centimetres or more, elaborate new stucco or panelling, a video entry system. A wall-hung WC, a heated towel rail and ventilation in an internal bathroom can in principle be approved.
A maisonette linking an existing apartment with new living space in the roof counts as merging units and cannot be approved. A lift, for example up to the attic, is likewise refused in buildings with up to four storeys above ground.
Teutoburger Platz (2007) and Humannplatz (2009) also have ordinances protecting their urban character. Demolition, alterations, changes of use and new buildings need approval there, which can be refused if the building shapes the townscape. We clear new windows, dormers or a roof terrace in advance.
A building permit, where needed, includes the preservation approval; otherwise you apply to the Pankow district’s urban renewal department. The applicant must show that the works stay within an average standard, and this approval replaces no other, such as heritage consent.
Then four short questions. We reply within one working day, with no obligation. We speak English, German and Spanish.
An apartment at Kollwitzplatz for an owner who loves French vintage furniture, soft colours and music. Each room keeps its own pastel, a soft yellow, a powdery pink, a celadon green. A piano shares the living room with a green upholstered armchair. We designed the full interior.
View projectAcross 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
