Arnold/Werner Architekten Renovates Century-Old Villa in Munich
April 15, 2021
By Joseph Giovannini
The richly pigmented custom paint on the ceiling, walls, and molding, and Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci’s glossy lacquered-metal console table turn the smoking parlor into a warm and inviting haven. Photography by Boo Yeah.
Every century-old house has a past, but the landmarked 1929 Villa Bogenhausen in Munich has layers of history—personal, architectural, social—all of which factored into the recent makeover of its interiors by Arnold/Werner Architekten. Designed by prominent local architect Robert Seitz in a simplified château style transitioning into Modernism, the 16,000-square-foot, four-level residence was confiscated from its Jewish owners in 1933 and only restituted to the family after World War II. In the early 1950s, however, they sold the stately house to be used for commercial purposes. By the time the villa’s current occupants—a family of five—acquired the property recently, it was in need of major work.