A Modernist Home Bathed in Green

INSIDE THE SWABIAN LOFT OF A FOOTWEAR DESIGNER

Image of the footwear designer Deo Beck inside her Schwabian loft in Germany, © Deo

“A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy.”

– Juan Montoya

Source: @desloft: Tulip Table and chairs by Eero Saarinen (1957) for Knoll, © Deo Beck

© Deo Beck for @deosloft: Image of the loft featuring Marcel Breuer’s iconic Wassily Chair (B3), 1925, the silver-grey modular cabinet from USM Haller, the tall white lamp beside the window: Panthella Floor Lamp by Verner Panton

For the month of October, we are dedicating our design feature to a home where architecture, nature and twentieth-century design come together with remarkable ease. Set in the landscape of Swabia, Germany, the loft of footwear designer Deo is a light-filled, modernist interior where Bauhaus discipline, Scandinavian warmth and iconic mid-century design are brought together in a distinctly contemporary way. Rather than following a single decorative style, the home builds its character through architecture, proportion, colour and a carefully edited collection of furniture and objects, creating a space that feels sophisticated yet relaxed, timeless yet entirely at home in the present.

© Deo Beck for @deosloft: long, very low elliptical tabletop with the distinctive welded wire-rod base is the Eames ETR. The ETR stands for Elliptical Table Rod Base and was introduced in 1951. Eames LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) by Charles and Ray Eames,

© Deo Beck: Breuer’s 1925 Wassily Chair, Noguchi’s paper Akari light, the Eames ETR from 1951, and USM Haller modular storage, the red Eames DSR (Dining Height Side Chair, Rod Base), Eames ETR very low elliptical tabletop with the distinctive welded wire-rod base

The extraordinary expanse of windows is perhaps the defining feature of the loft. Framed in white timber, they form a strong geometric grid while opening onto a lush garden of mature trees and greenery. The landscape becomes an extension of the interior, providing both its most important source of colour and a constantly changing backdrop. The restrained palette of warm white, natural wood, black, chrome and muted olive green allows the architecture and the garden to remain the protagonists, while carefully placed touches of red and blue add moments of graphic energy.

Throughout the home, modernist references appear naturally rather than as a deliberate historical reconstruction. The sculptural dining furniture by Eero Saarinen, the chrome-and-black lounge chair designed by Marcel Breuer and the Bauhaus tradition of tubular steel, while a softly glowing paper lamp Akari 14A, designed by Isamu Noguchi’s Akari pays tribute to modernist, sculptural lighting design, strongly influenced by Japanese aesthetics and traditional craft. The low modular USM Haller storage system is a particularly strong choice for the loft because it introduces a more architectural, geometric counterpoint to the softer and more organic elements, echoing the grid of the windows through its own modular geometry. The graphic artworks introduce a subtle dialogue with the geometric language of Mondrian and De Stijl. Each piece has its own presence, yet nothing feels excessive. The beauty lies precisely in the editing, in adding pinches of of mid-century modern colour and wit with elements like the red Eames DSR (Dining Height Side Chair, Rod Base), introduced in 1950–51- an iconic furniture staple that prevents the architecture from becoming too serious while reinforcing the room’s underlying modernist design language.

© Deo Beck: Beyond the glass, mature trees and dense greenery create an ever-changing backdrop, bringing movement and colour into an otherwise restrained interior. The garden is not simply a view; it becomes part of the composition.

The contrast between hard and soft, geometric and organic, black and green gives the rooms their distinctive character. Chrome, glass and dark cabinetry are softened by plants, rugs, upholstery, natural wood and the deep olive-green sofa, which connects the interior directly to the garden outside. A black upright Bechstein piano positioned against exposed brick adds another layer, bringing together polished and rough, old and new, industrial and domestic. These are not objects displayed as museum pieces, but design classics integrated into everyday life.

© Deo Beck for @deosloft: Eames LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) by Charles and Ray Eames, Marcel Brauer’s Wassily chair. A contemporary living space combining Bauhaus tubular-steel furniture, Mid-Century Modern references, modular upholstered seating and minimalist contemporary accessories.

© Deo Beck for @deosloft: the ultra-modern, highly functional black kitchen, accented with chrome elements and paired with the iconic Tulip Table and Chairs by Eero Saarinen (1957) for Knoll, creates a sleek and timeless contemporary aesthetic

What makes the loft particularly compelling is the way it embraces the fundamental principles of modernism—clarity, functionality, proportion and honest materials—without ever becoming cold or austere. The architecture is allowed to speak, the garden becomes part of the colour palette, and every object has room to breathe. It is an interior that has been carefully edited rather than heavily decorated, resulting in a home that feels quietly intellectual, personal and warm.

To discover more about the thinking behind this distinctive interior, the design choices, the dialogue between modernist classics and contemporary living, and the relationship between the loft and its surroundings, we spoke with the interior designer behind the project. The interview follows.

© Deo Beck for @deosloft: The Bechstein piano—Deo’s favourite piece of furniture—takes centre stage alongside the iconic Tulip Table and Chairs by Eero Saarinen (1957) for Knoll, creating a sophisticated dialogue between timeless craftsmanship and modern design.

Ana: A home often reveals as much about its owner as their work does. What is the story behind your loft, and what was it about this particular space that made you want to call it home?

Deo: My home is in the Swabian region of southern Germany, or “Schwabenländle”, as we affectionately call it. Not entirely sure how I ended up here.

Finding a loft like this was quite unexpected though, which is probably part of what made it so special to me. I’ve always loved lofts for their high ceilings, openness and sense of space. With this one, it was really the architecture, and especially the huge windows, that made me fall in love with it. The space itself already has so much character that it never felt necessary to do too much to it.

Ana: Your work as a footwear designer is deeply rooted in silhouette, proportion, materials and craftsmanship. How much of that same visual language finds its way into your interior?

Deo: Designing a room is not something I consciously approach in the same way as designing a shoe or a collection. But after working in design for such a long time, you inevitably become quite sensitive to the things around you.

Materials, colour, proportion, shape and craftsmanship are part of my working life every day, so naturally some of that finds its way into how I see interiors too. A lot of it is instinctive.

Ana: There is a wonderful presence of mid-century design in the loft. What is it about this era and its design philosophy that continues to attract you?

Deo: Being attached to one particular era or one fixed style has never really interested me. My taste keeps evolving.

What I love about good design classics is their longevity. They have already survived decades of changing trends and still work in very different spaces. You can change the context and add your own personality around them, and they still hold their own. There is usually a reason why something has earned the title of a design classic.

Owning fewer things and keeping them for a long time is also important to me. Investing in furniture that I believe I’ll still love years from now simply makes sense.

Ana: Who inspires your eye?

Deo: Fashion and product design naturally influence me because of my work, but art, photography and film have always been interests of mine too. Architecture and cities probably play a big part as well.

And trends, of course. Working with them professionally, it would be strange to pretend they don’t influence me.

Ana: How do you know when a piece belongs in your home?

Deo: Usually, the first sign is that I can’t stop thinking about it. A bit of a fixed idea develops that something would be perfect somewhere.

Sometimes the decision happens quite quickly, but often a piece stays in my head for months before I actually buy it. There isn’t really a master plan or a particular style I collect according to. If I still want something after several months, that’s usually a pretty good sign.

Ana: What do you think separates a beautifully decorated interior from a truly great home?

Deo: A beautiful interior can be designed quite quickly. A home takes time.

It has to be lived in, change, collect memories and become more personal over time. Beautiful furniture and objects are something I obviously love, but living in a showroom wouldn’t appeal to me. In the end, a home has to feel good to the people who actually live there.

Ana: What would be your advice for someone living in a much smaller apartment?

Deo: Start with less. Not every wall or every corner needs to be filled just because there is space for something.

Living in a space for a while helps you understand what you actually need, and things can be added gradually. One piece you really love can do much more for a room than five things bought simply to fill it.

Ana: For someone who is just beginning to develop their own eye for interiors, where should they start?

Deo: Probably just by looking and figuring out why they like something rather than simply following what is popular. And by giving themselves some time. Taste changes and develops anyway.

Ana: If someone told you they wanted to become a “proper” interior designer from scratch, what would you tell them?

Deo: Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a footwear designer ^^ You would probably have to ask an actual interior designer that question.

Having a good eye and being professionally trained in interior design are obviously two very different things.

Ana: Finally, if you had to remove everything from the loft and keep only what truly matters, what would remain?

Deo: My piano and the windows.

The piano for personal reasons, and the windows because without them it simply wouldn’t be this loft.

More about Deo’s loft:

Instagram page: @deosloft

INSIDE THE SWABIAN LOFT OF A FOOTWEAR DESIGNER