Name: Alexander Paar (@alexanderpaar)
Location: After several years in Munich, I moved to East Westphalia - the middle of Germany, and have lived in Bielefeld since late summer 2018. The city is known as the hashtag #liebefeld on Instagram.
Being new to Bielefeld, I only knew the district from friends. But people kept telling me that I would love Bielefeld's “Prenzlauer Berg” and that my apartment was a stroke of luck as I found it on eBay. Sometimes it just pays to wait.
How would you describe your decor style?
In short, my style would be: simple, minimalist, Scandinavian - with attention to detail and cosiness.
Tell us about your place.
I live in a 4-room apartment in a 19th century building in the western part of Bielefeld. When I moved into my apartment in 2018, I was happy to have found an apartment in Bielefeld very quickly and didn't care that there was still a lot to be done, because I love to paint.
Therefore, the entire apartment was whitewashed from room to room and wooden fixtures whitewashed again to get rid of the yellowing from the previous tenants. After that, the apartment was like a blank sheet of paper. Little by little, more walls were painted in shades of gray and beige. Since I had previously stored a lot of my furniture, the first thing I had to do was see what I still owned. After the sighting, it was time to set up. This process continues to this day. For me, the identity of an apartment only develops over time.
The thing I love most about my apartment are the floors. Because in all rooms - even the bathroom - there are old wooden floorboards. However, this has not always been the case. A colleague of mine also lived in this apartment years ago. She told me that there was green carpet everywhere and that the beautiful floorboards weren't brought out of their slumber until years later.
Favorite item you bought or thrifted for your home?
Pictures are essential for me. I never hang them all up, but regularly swap them from room to room. In this way, a room can be given a new look in no time without having to spend a cent. And the memories associated with the images are always remembered.
My absolute favorite, however, is vintage tubular steel furniture from the 1980s. In January I accidentally discovered Marcel Breuer's D4 by Tecta in a vintage shop in Bielefeld. I was actually looking for new dining room chairs. I couldn't get the chair out of my head, so I had to have it. The beige tone in particular goes perfectly with my new color concept in the bedroom.
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What’s your Tivoli Audio product of choice?
Tivoli Audio products have been with me for a long time. As a student, I got to know and love the Model One radio through friends. The sustainable, classic design just fits perfectly into my home. Years later, in addition to the traditional radio, I switched to a Model One Digital to stream my digital playlists. The Bluetooth speaker "Revive" is a nice addition to the radios and provides total networking. Just great.
Do you have tips for our readers who are looking to style the perfect room or house?
When designing a room, you should pay particular attention to two things for a harmonious overall picture. On the one hand, the right color concept is essential. It is best to limit it to three or a maximum of four colors that are part of the same color family. For me these are beige, black, white, and light wood. This creates a certain calm through the colors alone.
On the other hand, I recommend everyone to question and rethink every piece they have at home. Does this accessory fit into my desired look? Is it just a dust catcher or is it useful? Marie Kondo's “Magic Cleaning” in particular helps one to part with useless things.
