Vitra Home Stories: Sebastian Soukup mixes eras in his Berlin home
Production designer Sebastian Soukup in his Bascule lounge chair.
FOR SEBASTIAN SOUKUP, it all begins with space. He studied architecture at the University of Fine Arts Berlin and worked as an architect and stage designer at Berliner Ensemble, the theater company founded by Bertolt Brecht. He also collaborated with the late provocative filmmaker and theater director Christoph Schlingensief at Volksbühne Berlin, a theater known for its bold, experimental productions, before turning to film.
Today, he works internationally as a renowned production designer and scenographer.
“I am a production designer, which essentially means I create the visual world of a film, transforming words, text and stories into images,” he says.
His home in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, where he both lives and works, is built on the same understanding of how visual choices shape an experience.
“My home is a blend of aesthetics and functionality. Visual elements such as colors, surfaces and materials interact with conceptual ideas to form an environment that is both beautiful and practical.”
The sleek black-and-white kitchen balances the apartment’s historic interior.
The striped kitchen nods to the Memphis movement. Ceramic Container by Alexander Girard.
Jean Prouvé’s Standard SP chairs are a natural fit for the dining area.
“For me, every new space begins with light. Color follows, and materials bring textures and tonal qualities. Together, these elements convey a particular atmosphere.”
With the double doors open, the enfilade of rooms offers a view from one end of the apartment to the other.
A film set can be built around a single, carefully controlled mood. Everyday life, Soukup points out, is rarely that simple.
“Yet reality looks very different. It is not one-dimensional, but consists of multiple layers, with different eras and influences overlapping. This is also how I design my living space: by mixing references and elements from various periods.”
The inviting living room combines a variety of seating with a large tatami mat. The Akari 3AD light is by Isamu Noguchi.
Vitra’s nest-like Bascule lounge chair and ottoman are designed by Studio Œ.
Soukup’s apartment brings together references and elements from different eras.
A spacious blue-toned study sits at the far end of the apartment.
In his apartment, that layering plays out through furniture as much as architecture. Vitra designs take center stage: Jean Prouvé’s Standard chairs gather around the dining table, while Isamu Noguchi’s Akari light sculptures, the new Bascule lounge chair by Studio Œ, and Verner Panton’s sculptural Panton Chair bring design classics and new icons into dialogue with the building’s original details.
Not every original detail was an easy fit, however. The dark brown wooden ceiling posed a particular challenge.
“The ceiling in this apartment was almost a deal-breaker. I asked myself whether I really wanted to live under such a heavy 19th-century ceiling.”
The solution was to adapt the color palette and bring it into the present. “Once we did that, the room’s atmosphere finally clicked into place,” he recalls.
In the end, getting the atmosphere right is about how a space feels to live in. “A room feels right when it responds to my mood and meets my needs, a place where I can switch off and let go of the outside world.”
Soukup lives and works in his Charlottenburg apartment.
The iconic Panton Chair adds a sculptural touch to the interior.
Hella Jongerius’s charming Elephant mouse pad draws inspiration from the Eames Elephant.
A bay window nook in the study holds a Guéridon dining table and Eames DSW chairs.
Soukup’s ideas come from everywhere.
“Inspiration comes from countless sources: exhibitions, films, photographs, books, experiences, encounters and even dreams. The real challenge is choosing the right references that spark new ideas and provide a foundation to build on.”
A few of those references stand out above the rest.
“One of my favorite sources of inspiration is a wonderful Japanese book on color. I am also fascinated by Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction film sets, which envisioned a future that we are, in many ways, already living in today.”
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Published on 1 Oct, 2026
