In the heart of Berlin, renowned interior designer Fabian Freytag has created a stunning penthouse that seamlessly blends classical elegance with Italian lightness, pastel tones, and extraordinary vintage treasures. His 970-square-foot apartment serves as a colorful, narrative home that combines Hollywood flair with Mediterranean vacation vibes. The space embodies an aesthetic that legendary filmmaker Wes Anderson would undoubtedly appreciate.
Fabian Freytag stands as one of Germany's most celebrated and creative interior designers, also working as a book author. He has gained recognition for his unconventional and vibrant spatial concepts. Born in Hamburg in 1984, he studied architecture in Berlin and founded his own studio in 2012. Fabian masterfully combines classical elegance with innovation, drawing inspiration from Italian lightness and design philosophy.
Upon entering the second-floor apartment in the historic building, visitors discover a color-surprising three-room realm decorated in apricot-rose paired with mint green and light blue. The space features relaxed horizontal and vertical stripes, floral ceiling lights that likely once adorned theater walls, and midcentury furniture crafted from leather, dark wood, or marble. "I find that touch of Hollywood totally fascinating," says Fabian Freytag, who was named Designer of the Year 2025 at the Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt.
The designer deliberately positions himself against minimalism, white walls, and standard furnishing approaches. Instead, he champions individuality, unexpected combinations, and narrative atmospheres reminiscent of cinema. "The story is always important in rooms too," explains the 41-year-old designer. Behind the marble dining table hangs a painting that Fabian created himself, inspired by his travels to Italy, while vintage lighting fixtures from Peill & Putzler add theatrical drama to the space.
The custom-designed kitchen draws its color palette from the Ligurian coast, featuring light retro green, yellow sunshade stripes, and rose-colored marble. Antique ceiling lights provide theatrical illumination throughout the cooking area. The kitchen exemplifies Fabian's philosophy of bringing Mediterranean coastal vibes into urban Berlin living.
In the living area, mint and apricot tones dominate the color scheme. A striped cabinet cleverly conceals the television, while custom-designed built-in furniture in pastel hues houses numerous vintage objects. Fabian frequently discovers treasures like feathered flamingos and Italian bar carts through eBay classified ads, wondering about the stories these decorative pieces might tell. He has strategically placed special finds throughout the apartment, including anatomy charts from Italy, stuffed birds from the Berlin Zoo, and various antiques sourced from online marketplaces.
The Berlin loft, which Fabian shares with his partner, aims to reflect "the feeling of a vacation apartment on the Mediterranean somewhere near Portofino or Santa Margherita." The penthouse was built on top of a 120-year-old historic building that also houses his office and showroom. Because the relatively small windows and gray concrete ceiling made the interior appear shadowy, Italian-inspired pastel tones became essential. "Orange and mint with dark wood always work," Fabian Freytag explains.
The bedroom particularly captures seaside atmosphere through its blue-painted walls, where wood-paneled ceiling and walls surround the bed like a beach hut. Shutter-like wooden blinds, casual block stripes, and terracotta pink complete the coastal aesthetic. The self-designed mirror cabinet recalls 1970s interior architecture, while green tones bring freshness to the compact bathroom, illuminated by "Mantis" lights from DCW Éditions.
The rooftop terrace extends the Mediterranean theme with hotel-style loungers, striped fabrics, and fringed umbrellas creating Riviera feelings in the middle of Berlin. An old marble plate personalizes the outdoor dining table from Fermob, adding another layer of vintage charm to the outdoor space.
When asked about his choice to live in Berlin despite being from Hamburg, Freytag explains, "I stayed after my studies. The city is full of conflicts for me, but also full of energy. I need these contrasts to work. In a permanently perfect and too-ideal environment, my mind would become too slow and sluggish." He observes that German interior design has become more courageous, partly due to social media influence, though he believes good interior design still remains in an elite category. "I miss seeing interior designers invited to talk shows on television," he notes.
Regarding entertaining guests, Freytag's preference is clear: "Champagne! Nothing beats well-made sparkling wine and the special lifestyle feeling that comes with it." This choice perfectly reflects the sophisticated yet approachable aesthetic he has cultivated throughout his Berlin penthouse, where every corner tells a story and every color choice contributes to the overall narrative of Mediterranean escapism in urban Germany.
