3 May 2017

Project: Rock 'n' Roll Townhouse

A successful entrepreneur transformed a city townhouse into a stylish, tech-filled home blending retro and modern design, featuring custom media solutions, multiroom audio, and personalized comfort across all floors.

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself. That’s exactly what a successful entrepreneur from the Rhineland must have thought when he fulfilled his own personal dream home after years of hard work. The impressive end result is defined by a harmonious mix of retro and modern styles, many individual details – and a custom media solution from AUDITORIUM.

Townhouse in the Big City

A modern townhouse with elegant balconies and a well-kept garden in an urban setting. Perfect for stylish living in the city.

A classic townhouse was chosen as the (re)building object, with all the typical advantages and disadvantages of such a property. The convenient, central location and the large, quiet garden behind the house made the site appealing from the start; however, the rather narrow, rear-extended layout did present a real challenge for the design.

Modern townhouse with open living concept, elegant furnishings, and large windows connecting the bright interior to nature. — A modern townhouse with an open living concept and elegant features. The large windows provide plenty of light and connect the interior with nature.

This was, however, solved convincingly from an architectural perspective. An open stairwell with a handcrafted steel staircase connects all five floors, while the different living areas feel cozy and self-contained. Here, visitors are immediately greeted by the owners’ life motto in neon script: If you follow all the rules, you miss out on a lot of fun ...

Modern staircase with neon quote and stylish architecture in a unique townhouse design. — Modern staircase with rock 'n' roll atmosphere: Neon light quote and stylish architecture come together in this unique townhouse design.

True to this motto, the interior designed by Nora von Nordenskjöld (NOVONO) also breaks with one or two classic design rules. Elegant materials and geometric arrangements are deliberately offset by original vintage furniture, which clearly shows its history, and by the recurring use of raw steel, where the occasional welding seam is intentionally visible. Why hide true craftsmanship? The material was also used for the custom-made stand for the large 85-inch TV. After initial consultations with the client and the creative team at NOVONO, it was clear that a conventional TV stand wouldn’t fit the planned environment. AUDITORIUM designer Jan Wagner therefore created a custom construction, executed by a local steelworker, which now fits perfectly into the design concept and also offers space for completely invisible cable management. Together with the speakers unobtrusively placed in the ceiling and the hidden subwoofer, the large UHD display transforms the cozy lounge corner into an extremely comfortable home cinema for the whole family.

Modern living room with a stylish freestanding TV frame, cozy stool, star-patterned rug, and decorative curtain. — A modern living room with a stylish, freestanding TV frame. The room is furnished with a cozy ottoman, a star-patterned rug, and a decorative curtain.

In the main living room on the same level, there is no television, but there is really good music. For the perfect sound from the B&W speakers, which for visual reasons are not placed in an optimal position, the room correction of the digital integrated amplifier Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 compensates for this. As a source, alongside the music server available throughout the house, there is also a stylish turntable – of course supplied by AUDITORIUM.

A stylish bookshelf with a record player blending music and literature in a modern townhouse setting. — A stylish bookshelf with a record player, embodying a perfect blend of music and literature in Rock'n'Roll style. Perfect for a modern townhouse ambiance.

One floor up is the owners’ private area, consisting of a bedroom, an open bathroom and a large dressing area – all, of course, subtly but thoroughly covered by the house-wide multiroom system. In the bedroom, a TV is hidden behind a motorized Future-Automation panel, and a slim soundbar provides great sound. For times when the soundbar is used only for music, a special opening position was programmed for the motorized panel.

Modern bedroom with a hidden TV sliding from a cabinet, featuring bright colors and a cozy atmosphere. — A modern bedroom with a hidden TV that slides out from a cabinet. Stylish furnishings with light colors and a cozy atmosphere.

All aspects of the house and media technology are controlled via a very flexible control system. Strategically placed iPads at multiple locations allow access to all functions, as do apps on the owners’ mobile phones and personal tablets. For some areas, such as the bedroom, traditional remote controls are available, which make standard functions easier to operate via programmed scenarios.

Smart home controls in a stylish townhouse with lighting control on the left and music selection on the right. — Smart home control in the Rock 'n' Roll Townhouse: lighting control on the left, music selection on the right. Modern living with style.

The top floor, with its own bathroom, is intended for guests, but also serves as a music room for the owner. And that’s both active and passive – when the drums, piano or guitars are taking a break, two Devialet Phantom speakers provide high-quality stereo sound. And even outdoors, good entertainment is always guaranteed. The three balconies and the terrace at garden level are all connected to the house-wide music system via B&W outdoor speakers, and are conveniently controlled via smartphone app.

Modern living room with a grand piano, two electric guitars, and an amplifier, ideal for music and rock 'n' roll fans. — A stylish living room with a grand piano, two electric guitars, and an amplifier, ready for musical sessions. Perfect for all Rock 'n' Roll enthusiasts!

With a great sense of style, impressive architecture and many individual detail solutions, a truly personal oasis of well-being has been created in the middle of the city – right down to the wellness area in the garden level, complete with fitness equipment, punching bag and sauna. And thanks to a well-thought-out technology concept, all modern media options are always available, without ever pushing themselves into the foreground.

Rock 'n' roll or relaxing – in this chic townhouse, both are a lot of fun.