A thorough restoration of one of Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer’s lesser-known gems, Villa Harnischmacher II, has just been unveiled by its new owners, Monika Maria and Stefan Eller.
Located in Wiesbaden’s city centre, the bungalow was originally designed for the Harnischmacher family in 1954 – in fact, it was the second one designed for them by Breuer. The first one was damaged during the war and this smaller version was constructed in the grounds of the original, destroyed villa.
Bought by the Ellers in 2011, the structure – which is also Breuer’s only built home in Germany – was carefully refreshed over the course of four years, with the help and support of the German office for the preservation of historical monuments and the architecture firm Schreiber & Partner.
Large openings and a sliding door link seamlessly the indoors and outdoors
'We discovered the house because it was advertised by a big international real estate firm. But, in the advert, there wasn’t the slightest hint that this was the only bungalow by Marcel Breuer that still existed in Germany,' recall the Ellers. 'It was, of course, extremely important to us to preserve the original design.'
The clean, white Bauhaus villa features open plan living areas and has been lovingly furnished with a selection of pieces from the multidisciplinary artist and designer’s Thonet range. Crafting fitting interiors was equally important to the family, as was restoring the architecture appropriately. The tubular steel classics, most of which were designed in the late 1920s and 1930s, create a consistent theme for the house and perfectly complement its marble, leather and stone details.
Large openings, including a sliding door, help connect the interiors to the garden and swimming pool outside. These are bordered by the property’s original stone wall.
Now, the villa remains a precious listed historical monument, true to Breuer’s original intentions and the Bauhaus principles, while equipped with modern amenities and energy-efficient gear that bring it straight into the 21st century. 'To us, this bungalow is the perfect combination of timeless and very modern elegance on the one hand, and just the right amount of cosiness and wellbeing on the other,' say the Ellers. 'We are incredibly proud that we discovered this architectural treasure and are now allowed to enjoy it each day.'
The white Bauhaus villa features open plan living areas and a selection of pieces from Breuer's Thonet range
The tubular steel classics are set against the villa's carefully picked materials, such as the marble fireplace
The verdant garden outside includes a swimming pool, bordered by the property's original stone wall
The tubular steel classics are set against the villa's carefully picked materials, such as the marble fireplace
-
Aarke has created the ultimate collection for caffeine lovers, the Aarke Coffee SystemThe new Aarke Coffee System consists of three elegant components, part of the Swedish company’s ongoing quest to reshape the world of appliances
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living roomWallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
-
Apple’s Alan Dye and Molly Anderson discuss the design of Apple Watch Series 10In addition to the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple has also introduced a new black titanium finish for the premium Apple Watch Ultra 2; here’s what’s new
-
A new exhibition marks Chandigarh’s modernist legacy‘Celebrating the Capitol’, an exhibition of photographic work by architect Noor Dasmesh Singh, opens just in time for the famed modernist Indian city’s anniversary
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and moreLondon Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
-
La Grande Motte: touring the 20th-century modernist dream of a French paradise resortLa Grande Motte and its utopian modernist dreams, as seen through the lens of photographers Laurent Kronental and Charly Broyez, who spectacularly captured the 20th-century resort community in the south of France
-
'Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' captured in new monograph like no book before'The Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' chronicles hundreds of iconic structures from this golden age of architectural expression
-
Discover Tempe à Pailla, a lesser-known Eileen Gray gem nestled in the French RivieraTempe à Pailla is a modernist villa in the French Riviera brimming with history, originally designed by architect Eileen Gray and extended by late British painter Graham Sutherland
-
'American Modern' surveys the 'total community' modernist project that was Columbus, Indiana'American Modern', a new publication zooming in on the lesser-known architectural gems of Columbus, Indiana, and their impact, is out this month
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
-
Niemeyer’s modernism celebrated in Oscar Ibirapuera, an example of 21st-century São Paulo livingPerkins&Will completes Oscar Ibirapuera, next to Niemeyer’s modernist landmark park in São Paulo, Brazil
