Neri & Hu’s “Das Haus” Turns Heads at IMM Cologne 2015

Buttoned-up and serious on the outside, cozy on the inside. Add a zig-zagging bridge darting through and over, and you have Interior Design Hall of Famers Lyndon Neri aand Rossana Hu‘s vision for the house of the future. The Chinese designers and principals of Neri & Hu used Shanghai’s lane houses of the 1930s—which deftly integrated public and private areas with an interior courtyard —as inspiration for Das Haus—Interiors on Stage, recently concluded at annual furniture fair IMM Cologne, held this year from January 19-25.

The dark gray painted facade of “Das Haus: “Memory Lane” seems unremarkable until you notice windows of varying size. Guiding visitors to an interior courtyard, the entrance also provides access to the wooden bridge connecting to five rooms, each an experiment of living, for a total of 5,600 square feet.

Paired with a muted color pallet, wood flooring and tiles set the stage for furnishings including Gandia Blasco’s Jian aluminum sofa, newly launched carpets from Nanimarquina, lighting from Parachilna, and pieces designed by Neri & Hu, some custom and others for manufacturers such as De La Espada.

Recalling Louise Campbell’s legendary extra-large bed in Das Haus 2014, notable is the spacious tub in the “Room for Bathing,” distinguished by dark red painted walls. Dedicated to lovers, the Communal tub by Neri & Hu comfortably fits two or, perhaps, even more.