Gut Üselitz
Gut Üselitz is a landmark protected Renaissance manor situated in the south of the island of Rügen. The manor houses seven holiday apartments and is surrounded by water on all sides.
What is the story behind St. Oak, what was your inspiration to create it?
We have travelled a lot over the last few years, particularly in Scandinavia, and we always enjoyed staying in holiday apartments much more than hotels. We like to have our own kitchen and cook with local ingredients. So we wanted to create something like this by ourselves and host guests in our own space.
We live in the countryside near Berlin in the historic town of Kyritz, which isn’t yet touristy. It’s really calm and beautiful and you can always find a quiet spot at the nearby lake. We decided to create something so other people can discover this area.
It was a family project with my dad — we always had this dream to have a holiday rental together! I’m a photographer and Nora is a stylist and we mostly photograph food. Cooking is a huge part of our lives and one of our main ideas was to have a kitchen where nothing was missing.
We found this very nice building opposite Kyritz’s town hall (which is like something out of a fairytale) with an amazing oak tree out the front. When you enter the building and look out the windows toward the tree, it feels special. I think the way the tree interacts with the house, almost flowing into the house, is what made us fall in love with the building.
At the moment, we have one apartment designed for four guests, which we opened in May 2024. But later this year, we will also have a three-bedroom apartment available to rent. We are also working on renovating the backyard, which will eventually have an outdoor kitchen and an alfresco dining area, plus a small greenhouse where you can sit inside and have breakfast.
How would you describe the atmosphere of St. Oak?
It has a really calming atmosphere, mainly due to the huge oak tree in front of the house — you can see it through all of the apartment’s south-facing windows. It has a powerful presence. Because the loft is 160 square metres and the colours are quite neutral, it feels very bright and spacious.
While we worked with craftspeople during the renovations (to remove walls and flooring), the interior design we did ourselves. During our travels, we connected with several Scandinavian brands and there are a lot of natural materials, such as linen, wood and stone, throughout the apartment. That’s what we like.
To you personally, what makes St. Oak so special?
The open floor plan — you can see everything and it feels almost nest-like. While you have all this space, it still feels cosy and there’s lots of natural light. Despite being in a town, you feel as though you are in your own universe because it’s so calm.
