Holidaying at home
Christine Fröhlich and her partner Rainer Kollender renovated a weekend home for themselves in northern Germany and loved it so much they decided to move there full time
A marvel in monochrome, the interiors of this German cottage are full of ideas for decorating with antiques and muted shades
After 20 years’ working at a fashion agency in Hamburg, Christine needed a break from the bustle of the city.
‘My partner Rainer and I always loved to spend our holidays at the Baltic Sea. Whenever we had the time, we rented a holiday home and enjoyed the peace and tranquility there.’ On one of their breaks in 2007, they happened to drive past an old house that was up for sale. It was love at first sight: ‘I didn’t even need to look round – I wanted to buy it immediately,’ Christine recalls. ‘We originally intended it to be a weekend hideaway, since it was only a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Hamburg.’ The house was built in 1885 and had belonged to an old blacksmith, who spent his final years here. Although there was lots to do, Christine and Rainer saw the potential of this special home.
Inside, the house needed a complete makeover and the couple couldn’t wait to get started, with the help of Christine’s father, a talented craftsman. The electrics hadn’t been touched since the 1970s and had to be completely replaced, along with the water pipes. The couple also decided to install underfloor heating and replaced the old radiators with modern ones. As for the décor, which had been an overwhelming combination of orange and yellow, Christine toned it down, choosing nuances of white and light grey for walls and furnishings. The couple improved the flow of the house by knocking down the wall between the kitchen and living room. ‘I love to chat to my guests while I’m cooking; I need the company,’ says Christine.
Next, the rotten windows were replaced with new ones sourced in Denmark, and the hayloft was transformed into a sleeping gallery. The kitchen flooring, all 1980s bright orange terracotta, has been updated with cement tiles Christine bought at auction that had originally been in an old villa. ‘We had to remove the mortar from every single tile – quite an undertaking, but so worth it.’
Little by little, and with careful attention to every detail, the cottage was transformed. The highlight is the thatched roof, which was still in good shape – although there was a bit of a surprise waiting for the new owners: ‘I lay in the bathtub, gazing though the window, when I suddenly saw little ducklings falling from the roof! It turns out a duck comes here each spring to hatch her eggs on the roof. And as soon as the ducklings are old enough, they jump from the roof and into the garden pond,’ Christine laughs.
The couple’s original plan to stay in the house just for the weekends was soon abandoned: ‘We loved it here so much that we decided to buy and renovate three other houses in the neighbourhood, and we now let them as holiday homes,’ says Christine. She has since given up her job in the city and now manages the holiday lets full time. ‘It was the best thing that ever happened to me,’ she adds.
The couple soon realised the house was too small to fit the needs of a full-time home, so in 2010 they added an extension. Thanks to Christine and Rainer’s careful sourcing of reclaimed materials, the extension and the original house blend together seamlessly. The extension includes a spacious open-plan living room and an extra mezzanine sleeping gallery.
But living here was never just about the house itself. For Christine and Rainer, who are both real nature lovers, the whole setting is just as important: surrounded by fields that touch the horizon, and no other houses as far as the eye can see. The couple love to sit underneath the old trees enjoying the tranquility. ‘In summer, the garden is our second living room. We eat every meal out here, making the most of the warm weather and longer days,’ says Christine, who carries the wooden dining table outside to accomodate their friends. Looking into this haven of a garden, it’s easy to imagine Christine, Rainer and their guests chatting till sundown.