Dunckerstraße 1
Third time's a charm - that's how the saying goes and it definitely applies to Audrey's apartments in Berlin. From a one-room studio on Weinbergsweg, to a slightly-bigger (and cheaper) but very gloomy studio on Marienburgerstraße, Audrey was on the hunt for her dream Berlin apartment and last summer, she struck gold on Dunckerstraße.
Audrey is one of my most creative and saavy friends - meaning that she can literally take the most boring and mundane things (i.e. brussel sprouts), work her magic, and make them into something that people would die to have. That's exactly what she did to this apartment. When she moved in there were no lights, no kitchen, and no wifi. It was a proper Berlin fixer-upper but she wasn't derailed. She and her boyfriend, Dan (profile to-come), spruced the place up in under 6 months and now it's one of my favorite spots in Berlin.
The apartment is located on the corner of Dunckerstraße and Danzigerstraße. One of the best zip codes for a young-30 something to live in given its incredible proximity to grocery shops, boutiques, public transport, cafes, and restaurants/bars. Not to mention that it has the best of both worlds being located between Kollwitzplatz (bougier family-type population) and Helmholtzplatz (younger, gen-z crowd).
Located on top floor, the apartment gets a ton of light from all sides. It has 3 rooms (bedroom, living room/kitchen, smaller bedroom/office/man cave), 2 balconies, and comes in at about 112 square meters. Audrey and Dan pay around €1890 with all utilities included, which (if you ask me) is an absolute STEAL.
Audrey says that the two "cons" of the apartment are its squeaky hardwood floors and tram vibrations, but I'd say that these aren't cons at all when you live in an apartment as nice as this one.
When you enter, you'll go down a long hallway that suddenly gives way into a massive living room and kitchen. Audrey designed an IKEA custom kitchen, with wooden countertops and a glossy black stovetop.
The living room's main attraction is “The Frame.” The Bolia couch, Wayfair red and green carpets, assorted plants, and paintings from the Kuriosis shop in custom frames brings the living room all together.
In the kitchen's corner, Audrey and Dan have a drinks globe that hides their alcohol collection, ceramic dispensers from Ravello for oil & vinegar, a ceramic spoon rest from Turkey, a Sandeman print from Porto, and a big dining room table for allllll the friends.
My favorite pieces in Audrey's apartment are her flower vase (from a shop on Prenzlauer Allee) and her floral lamp. The flower vase may or may not have tulips depending on how Audrey was feeling that day.
Audrey and Dan have a massive corner bedroom that has a balcony and the nicest view of Danzigerstraße, It's perfect for calling her on my walk home for a quick wave from the street, or one day playing saxophone for the ears of Prenzlauerberg.
There's not yet a photo of the infamous man cave but what I can tell you is that it's painted a dark forest green and contains a 60kg solid wood desk. That's all for now...
My favorite thing about Audrey's apartment are all the small details. Audrey isn't someone who liked to have a lot of things, so the stuff she does own always have some significance or use. Take the big block of soap in the bathroom - this was the wedding favor from her sister's wedding on the Amalfi coast last autumn. There's always some yummy tea waiting in the kitchen drawers, some painting tucked away in the corner that will be worked on, or a small candle flickering away on one of the tables.
In short, Audrey's apartment is all things lagom 😉.
