jannet butzinger


Congratulations to Jannet Butzinger who have been shortlisted for Interior Design Scheme – Europe Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019

design et al are delighted to announce that Jannet Butzinger has been shortlisted for Interior Design Scheme – Europe Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019.

This typical style Farmhouse on acreage, set in the rolling hills outside Heidelberg, Germany, was bought by the clients to live in the next phase of their active lifestyle; gardening, enjoying nature and walking their dog in the beautiful wooded hills. The house had been rebuilt 20 years ago from the ground up, to replace the rotten timbers and decaying clay plaster but the interiors left much to be desired. They wanted a complete overhaul to make this house into their desired home. The clients wanted an interior that was durable for the country, elegant, yet understated and had a touch of the Hamptons, using as much ecological materials as possible plus all the modern conveniences of a new home. Jannet chose to modernize the interiors using natural organic materials with simple lines, keeping true to the structure. She wanted the modern interiors to give the feeling of being handcrafted. A new stairway in a traditional land house style was rebuilt to replace an ugly metal stairway.

jannet butzinger

All the exposed timber was white washed to get rid of the heavy darker oak feeling. Sandblasted french limestone was chosen throughout for its durability and to give a light elegant feel. Grey washed-oak wood flooring was used in the living room and upstairs. Jannet designed a crisscross of wood planks and limestone in the winter garden to connect the wood floor in the living room, with the limestone in the kitchen and front hall. Jannet designed all the built-in furniture and some of the hardwood furniture pieces to give a cohesive whole to the design. Simple yet interesting pieces, that were to function for the owners specific requirements.  To soften the hard edges, upholstered furniture in natural linens were used throughout. Carpenters from the Czech Republic worked round the clock on this project to fit every piece of wood.  They installed the solid wood kitchen from Neptune, added pieces to flawlessly fit with it as well as produce cut and install the stone counter-tops and sinks.

Jannet Butzinger

The key aspect of this project was breathing life back into this old home! Some of the favourite aspects of this project were designing the winter garden flooring, used to combine the limestone and oak flooring, as well as the pendant design for the new stairway. The design worked so well as Jannet remained sensitive to the historic value of this house, the interiors needed to be authentic. Using natural organic materials is how this home would have been furnished in the past. Even though understated, the interiors still have that “wow” affect!  One feels completely comfortable and secure while admiring the charming surroundings. Old and new are perfectly combined!

Jannet Butzinger

Jannet Butzinger