Klützer Hof

What is the story behind Klützer Hof, what was your inspiration to create it?

I’ll start by sharing the certificate of the house:

“Due to the ordinance of the Mecklenburg state administration on land reform dated September 5, 1945, the farmer Albert Nell is legally granted a property of 6.86 hectares, including forest, as personal inheritable property. The property given to the farmer is located in the municipality of Schwansee and according to the distribution plan drawn up by the land commission, it is numbered 7. The farmer holds the property debt-free and this certificate entitles the entry of the property in the land register.”

At that time, everyone here was given land. It was, as they said back then, taking land from the nobility and giving it to the farmers. Unfortunately, in this case, it didn't work out, otherwise we wouldn't have it now. But I think the idea behind it is great, that everyone gets a piece of land big enough to be self-sufficient.

We bought the house next door in 2007 and when we saw this one being auctioned off, we thought we should buy it before someone else did and renovated it poorly, as sometimes happens here. It was in very bad condition and we did a complete gut renovation while trying to maintain some of the original features. 

The house has some beautiful old wooden beams, probably stolen from a barn because back then, in 1946, building materials were scarce right after the war. We left them visible and worked around them — they really are the most beautiful feature of the house and probably a few hundred years old. It’s amazing just thinking about the time needed for the wood to grow before it can be used in construction!

Back when we bought the house, people tended to go to places like Timmendorf, Travemünde or Lübeck Bay for a beach vacation, although it is starting to get more popular in Klützer Winkel now. It's still very original here with natural beaches and no beach chairs or restaurants — maybe just a stand selling French fries.  

We wanted to offer this to other people who, like us, are very busy with their lives in Hamburg, constantly having meetings and interacting with a thousand people. When we're here, we are just by ourselves and we don’t need to talk to anyone. The best part is that it's not just quiet, it's still.

How would you describe the atmosphere and interior of Klützer Hof, what does it feel like to stay there?

Out of this world. When you are in the house, you only see nature and fields. There is nothing else. It’s absolute silence.

I worked with an architecture firm called Studio Piergianni, so I was working with my own firm but I was much more critical as it was a personal project. You become the demanding client that you usually have, thinking about 23 different ways you could do something.

Building for yourself is different. Usually, you have clear specifications: this and that needs to be done by then, and we want this and that. Here, everything was open-ended - you have all the options and then you have to decide what to do. It was almost too much! It took much longer because it was a different type of pressure.

As our firm usually does, we tried to preserve as much of the old as possible — these things give the house soul and charm. Then we complemented the old with new furnishings. We aimed for authenticity, no frills — things you really need that are also beautiful. For example, we wanted lots of books, fireplaces and sightlines. There are some design classics, but they don’t take centre stage; they serve a function.

Ideally, it should look like we just went out for a walk and told others, "Feel free to touch everything and we’ll be back at some point.”

To you personally, what is so special about Klützer Hof?

This feeling of being out of the world, completely away from everything. Civilisation is still here — there’s running water and electricity – but you can decide if you want to be alone. Where else do you have that today? In a village, you always have some level of noise. Here, you only hear animals like birds and horses. That’s it!

Our neighbours are directly across the street but because of the sightlines, it feels like there is no one else around.