Table of Contents: Berlin Bound

We’ve been admiring Berlin design from afar it seems forever. Of late, when Remodelista editors Sarah and Christine separately took off for the city–Sarah and family are there all spring–we decided it was time to join them. Stay tuned for a week of the latest from Germany, precision-made kitchens and bohemian guest rooms included.

• Watch for Sarah’s Berlin finds all week. Here’s one of her letters home: “People walk or bike everywhere, graffiti is all-pervasive, sneakers are the shoe of choice (forget heels), and when the sun shines, everyone spills onto the river banks and sidewalks with beers in hand (it’s legal to drink in public, even on trains). Technology is absent in public (it took me a few days to notice that people aren’t glued to their phones); they linger in cafes and there is a collective sense of enjoying the day-to-day, not racing through time. It’s a rich and layered city with a heavy history, and even though I’m here for more than a month, it’s still not enough.”
• In the first of our Kitchen posts this week, Julie presents Berlin designs in spic-and-span bright white.
• On Tuesday, meet the Rolls-Royce of mattresses, made by hand by a fourth-generation Berlin mattress maker specializing in horsehair stuffing. (In the meantime, see more options in Editors’ Favorite Mattresses and read our wellness guru Jackie Ashton’s 10 Secrets for a Better Night’s Sleep.)
• For this week’s 10 Easy Pieces, Izabella presents German-made cleaning tools. And for their countertop companions, go to 12 German-Made Kitchen Essentials.
• Sarah’s best find to date? The Plain English of Germany: a Berlin company specializing in classic kitchens with modern edge.
• On Friday, Margot pays a House Call to two creative Swedes in their Berlin fixer-upper: illustrator/blogger Sandro Juto and graphic designer/artist Johan Pergenius. Photograph via Freunde von Freunden.
• Calling all Bay Area readers: This Saturday, join us for the first Remodelista-Gardenista Market of 2015. It’s at the Marin Country Mart, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hope to see you there! Photograph from Scout Regalia, one of our 40-plus sellers; see more market highlights here.