In Her 430-Square-Foot Munich Apartment, a Designer Shares Space-Saving Tips

“Less space requires more conscious choices when it comes to furniture and art. You can only surround yourself with things that you really love and need,” designer Regina Hoefter says. She would know, having lived in a 430-square-foot Munich apartment in the Maxvorstadt District, near the lively Elisabethmarkt, for 10 years. The unit, located in an older building, was completely renovated. “The floor plan was entirely reorganized in a very efficient way, which makes the two-room apartment appear much larger,” she explains. High ceilings, tall doors, oversized windows, and a herringbone parquet floor with oversized proportions were also key to creating the illusion of extra space.

A compact—not cramped—430-square-foot Munich apartment

The floor plan of Regina Hoefter’s two-room apartment illustrates the careful thought behind its layout.

Jean Sebastien Malebranche

Hoefter’s apartment is far from feeling like a sterile and functional space. As soon as you enter, you’re struck by the fact that this home feels lived in. It’s an eclectic interior that invites you to pause and take a closer look at an antique piece of furniture, a portrait, or an especially striking light fixture and ponder the story behind the object. Hoefter grew up in an environment where art and design played large roles and she learned early on to appreciate different styles and eras. Today, when she works with clients, she places antique and vintage finds in contemporary contexts.

“It was important to me not just to preserve a mix of eras, but to continue to build it and integrate it into my own style,” she says. The decor of her home wasn’t planned in advance following a preconceived concept. Instead it grew organically incorporating furniture, art, and objects that she inherited or received as gifts from her parents and grandparents. “I would never have chosen many of these pieces myself, but their emotional value makes them irreplaceable. For me, they are not just furniture or mere decoration. They reflect lived moments and emotional memories. There are natural differences and contrasts that give a unique life to the apartment as a whole.”