Attention to Detail
Daniel Miller, professor of anthropology at the renowned University College London, has focused on so-called material culture, i.e. with the question of how a person's personality and living conditions are reflected in the objects with which he surrounds himself in his four walls - noble, comforting, special or memory-laden, but always: emotionally important. This everyday research on the significance of things in one's own home can also be applied to the home itself: What does a home have to be like in order to feel permanently comfortable in it? What makes the house surrounding it a counterpoint to the restless outside?
Convenience through technology: A fully automatic parking system transports vehicles to the 2nd basement in Sigmaringer Strasse at the push of a button.
RALF SCHMITZ relies on a selection of proven beauty from other eras, on building elements that have always stood for generosity, elegance and style. The work is carried out by craftsmen who, whether plasterers, stonemasons, locksmiths, parquet layers, window fitters or staircase builders, are all true masters of their trade and still master the traditional arts.
Solid on the one hand – highly emotional on the other: because the soft curve of a forged doorknob delights the one who touches it every time. Minimally irregular natural stone tiles in the bathroom not only ground bare feet, they are almost eternally durable and timelessly beautiful. The clacking of heels on elegant oak parquet announces the sweetheart you have been waiting for.
The special, aesthetically outstanding continues in the areas of every SCHMITZ house accessible to all, as in the entrance to Sigmaringer Straße in Berlin: A letterbox made of patinated brass, strikingly framed by warm cherry wood, one even gladly takes mail from the tax office for the corporate tax return with annex OG (almost anyway).
A special eye-catcher enriches the prestigious entrance hall of the noble first-class new building: the clear view into the car lift handover cabin. Something you worry about all too often in the city – here on Sigmaringer Strasse, parking helps you relax. Simply drive your car into the spacious parking system cabin, get out and take the elevator just a few steps away, which will take you directly to your apartment – your car will be taken care of by the fully automated “concierge”. This is how valet parking works today! Safely housed, your car waits in the second basement level until you request it again.
As a resident, you can tell the difference between good and perfect from details like these. And feel it every day. To paraphrase the company founder Peter Heinrich Schmitz: Only that which is high-quality remains pleasing.
This article can be read in the illustrated book published in Feb 2023 by Hatje Cantz: Exceptional Homes Vol. 2.
Twelve mailboxes made of patinated brass, framed with warm-toned cherry wood, form a striking accent at the entrance to Sigmaringer Strasse in Berlin.
The exclusive penthouse with its spacious terraces,
its columns and arched windows offers a spectacular view over the Berlin roofscape.
The magnificent facade picks up on the architecture of the late 19th century and becomes a symbol of classical architecture – magnificent, rich in detail, full of character.
Carefully designed down to the smallest detail: the floor plans of the light-flooded apartments.
