Rental Revamp: A Bavarian Baker Completely Overhauls Her Kitchen in a 300-Year-Old Farmhouse
Alicia Freska paid to redo the space with fresh cabinetry, appliances, and flooring, while her landlord shored up the structure.
Alicia Freska paid to redo the space with fresh cabinetry, appliances, and flooring, while her landlord shored up the structure.
In Germany, rental contracts are often unbefristet, or unlimited in their tenure. Want to hang a painting? No sweat—tenants are used to making their homes their own. Still, Alicia Freska took it a step further than most when she rented a 300-year-old farmhouse in Bavaria with her partner, David Lakenbrink. They overhauled the kitchen, scrapped a ceiling, and even widened the doorframes.
Before: In Germany, it’s common for rental homes to come without a kitchen or appliances. In units that include a built-in kitchen, some renters (like Alicia) choose to replace them partially or in full.
Photo courtesy of Alicia and David
Before: After discovering the full height of their kitchen ceiling, Alicia and David cleaned up the existing wood beams and left them exposed.
Photo courtesy of Alicia and David
Before signing the lease, Alicia and David called Hamburg home for years. They moved there after finishing their studies in Munich, and while Hamburg offered them plenty of opportunities in the advertising industry, they found themselves drawn back to the hills of Bavaria. The region was always close to their hearts, as they’d both grown up surrounded by the hills and lakes of southern Germany.
"We are mountaineers, and we would travel back to the south to meet friends, and then go to the Alps, South Tirol, Switzerland, or Austria," Alicia says. "In Covid times, we realized we couldn’t have our urban city life with the restrictions, and that we needed more time to go outside."
"We couldn’t live there without the kitchen," Alicia says. "It’s the heart of my work and my life."
Photo: David Lakenbrink
See the full story on Dwell.com: Rental Revamp: A Bavarian Baker Completely Overhauls Her Kitchen in a 300-Year-Old Farmhouse
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