{"id":2450,"date":"2025-06-01T14:19:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T06:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2025\/06\/01\/kitchen-of-the-week-a-diy-ikea-country-kitchen-for-two-berlin-creatives\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T14:19:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T06:19:21","slug":"kitchen-of-the-week-a-diy-ikea-country-kitchen-for-two-berlin-creatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/it\/kitchen-of-the-week-a-diy-ikea-country-kitchen-for-two-berlin-creatives\/","title":{"rendered":"La cucina della settimana: Una cucina country Ikea fai da te per due creativi berlinesi"},"content":{"rendered":"

When friends offered Nora Eisermann and Laura Muthesius the use of an apartment in a farm village just beyond Berlin, it came with a shared garden and a challenge: Set in an 1880s romantic ruin, the flat hadn\u2019t been occupied for more than a decade and lacked a kitchen. The couple longed for a retreat from Berlin but couldn\u2019t live on takeout: Nora is a food stylist and Laura is a food photographer. And since 2013, when Laura discovered her gluten and histamine intolerance, they\u2019ve been cooking healthy vegetarian meals together and sharing the results on their blog, Our Food Stories.<\/p>\n

How to create an affordable, high-functioning, great-looking setup in approximately 183 crumbling square feet? They installed Ikea cabinets, fixtures, and appliances while preserving the house\u2019s strong suit, its \u201crough aesthetics.\u201d Take a look at the results.<\/p>\n

Photography by Laura Muthesius, unless noted, courtesy of Our Food Stories.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n


Above: \u201cWe wanted a rural style but with a modern look,\u201d says Nora. The black cabinetry is from Ikea Metod and Laxarby collections\u2014Sektion is the closest US equivalent\u2014and the butcher-block counters are also Ikea (see Architects\u2019 Budget Kitchen Countertop Picks) as are the  
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F\u00e5gleboda bin pulls. 
\nThe couple were given Ikea components in exchange for publishing the results but were granted complete creative freedom. <\/span>
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Above: An Ikea range with induction cooktop (see the Nutid). Laura and Nora personalized the design with their own accessories, including a rustic knife rack and scissor lights that they found on eBay (for a similar design, consider the Scissor Arm Pharmacy Wall Light and see more options here).
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Above: The setup is just under 10 feet long: \u201cWe had to think carefully and plan which elements and storage space possibilities are the best. Very quickly we agreed that we wanted to use almost exclusively drawers [instead of base cabinets with doors]: It\u2019s not only more convenient but the storage space also exploits maximum good.\u201d
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Above: The modern farm sink is the Domsj\u00f6 and the black faucet is the Glittran, both from Ikea. Laura and Nora\u2019s furniture maker friend Philipp of Nuts & Woods built the standing metal shelf. (They also collaborated with him on their signature Oak Cake Stand.) The vintage hanging shelf is fitted with wood found in the garden. <\/p>\n

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Above: The kitchen has immediately been put to use as Nora and Laura\u2019s country lab and photo studio.,

Above: The table is situated under a window overlooking the garden and surrounded by a wall partially preserved in as-found condition. The painted wainscot is in Farrow & Ball\u2019s Railings. \u201cWe really liked the concrete floor, but it was red,\u201d they say. \u201cWe decided to paint it gray.\u201d <\/p>\n

Where\u2019s the fridge? It\u2019s tucked in the black cabinet next to the entry: \u201cIt was the only space left; we have a large fridge and a shallow but tall cabinet with shelves and drawers\u2014and are really excited about all that storage in such a small kitchen. Initially we were afraid that a black cabinet might seem a little clunky, but we were pleasantly surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The perfect rustic backdrop for Our Food Stories\u2019 plum cake.
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Above: The table, hanging light, and some of the chairs came from J & V, the couple\u2019s Berlin haunt for vintage industrial furniture.
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Above: A vintage cart, also from J & V, serves as the coffee station.
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Above: Laura (left) and Nora at their outdoor table with Collin, their Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Just outside their building, they report, there are \u201capple and pear trees, berries, cherries, walnuts, elderberries and fresh herbs.\u201d Photograph by Ezgi Polat. <\/p>\n

Prima<\/h2>\n

Above: The space came with atmospheric two-toned walls, replaced windows, and windowed doors\u2014and nothing more. Go to Our Food Stories for a detailed accounting of the makeover,
\nplus<\/em> the plum cake recipe. <\/p>\n

Explore more inventive Ikea kitchens:<\/p>\n