Markus Benz, company director of prestigious furniture brand Walter Knoll, and his wife Susanne wished to find a Stuttgart base that would enable them to offer their business partners an alternative meeting place to the company headquarters 40 km away in Herrenberg on the edge of the Black Forest – and to live there too. The family found a property in the Kräherwald, a popular location above the city, and moved into what is known as a ‘coffee-grinder house’, typical of the 1920s. The house used to function as a doctor’s practice, so the layout was restored in line with its original purpose and with respect for the building’s structure and history. On one hand our task was to create a home environment that suited the family’s discerning aesthetic demands and offered a framework for their art collection. On the other hand, products from Walter Knoll were to be staged in an authentic and atmospheric context, far removed from trade fair and showroom presentations.

　　著名家具品牌Walter Knoll公司总裁Markus Benz和夫人因疲于往返40公里外接近黑森林的海伦贝格（Herrenberg）的公司总部，特在斯图加特寻求一隅，要求既能接待商客，又适于二人居住。他们在斯图加特山上一个倍受青睐的地区（Kräherwald）找到一处地址，是一幢典型的20年代四方建筑。此前，这栋房子用于一间牙医诊所。为了恢复房子原有的功能和建筑特色及其历史，我们将其平面分隔重建起来。本次设计的任务是，一方面根据主人高尚的审美要求，创造一个宜居环境，为他们的艺术藏品提供展示的空间；另一方面，在一个远离展会和展厅的环境下，以真实生活为背景，展现Walter Knoll家具产品的魅力。

The house stands high on a plateau with stunning views across the city. The three available storeys were divided into a public, representative space on the ground floor and a private living area on the first and top floors. The ground-floor public area is designed to enable a more informal and friendly contact to customers. The entrance area is a deep purple hallway that leads to the individual rooms. The conference room is simultaneously designed to be used for hospitality. Its walls are painted dove grey using pigment-rich paints, which give them a particular depth. Above this colour runs a broad band executed in a satiny metallic paint, which has also been used on the ceiling. The edges and corners of the walls curve gently, giving the room a soft and sensual charisma. A large round table stands upon a deep-pile rug. Above it hangs a globe light fixture, specially commissioned for the space and made from hand-blown, cut, crystal glass. A fully equipped catering kitchen on the ground floor caters to the hospitality needs of guests. A door in a mirrored dividing wall leads through to the study. The colour palette here is continued with a fresh and intense blue. In the centre of the room stands the Walter Knoll Keypiece desk, which appears to float on a base and sideboard.

　　这幢大屋独自矗立在一片高地之上，俯瞰整座城市。原有的三层楼面一分为二，一层用来待客，二层和三层顶层则用作私人住所。一层的访客区域特别用于在非正式的环境下接待交好的客户。门厅由一条长长的紫色走廊构成，这条走廊连通一层的所有房间。会议室同时也是进餐的场所，墙面采用蓝灰色调，浓重的色彩制造出特别的拉伸效果。与天花板相连的位置是一宽条哑光金属色，色彩一直延续到天花。墙壁的边缘和拐角采用柔和的曲面结构，为空间赋予感性的气质。高绒块毯上放置了一张巨大的圆桌。圆桌上方漂浮着一盏球形吊灯。吊灯采用人工吹制打磨的水晶玻璃制作，是一款特制单品。为了给客人提供餐饮，房间里设有一个装备齐全的公共厨房。在一扇镜面包裹的墙壁背后，是主人的书房。书房以清新浓烈的蓝色为调，主体由一张Walter Knoll书桌构成，名为Keypiece。桌面一侧由木板支撑，另一侧则搭在低柜上。

The Cigar Lounge is the place for discussions in more relaxed surroundings. All the walls and shelves have been executed in a dark graphite grey, contrasting to the powerful mustard tone on the ceiling. Here again curved walls mark transition points and create niches in front of the windows. Semi-transparent net curtains at each window emphasise the intimate atmosphere of this room. We have teamed the Walter Knoll product ensemble of couch, tables, armchairs and silk rug with an extravagant bronze ring lamp, which recalls a tuning fork, and aboriginal art from the owners’ collection. 

　　雪茄沙龙是轻松会谈的场所。沙龙里的墙面和书架全部采用石墨灰色，天花板则为浓烈的深黄色。沙龙的墙壁同样采用曲面过渡。窗口位置的结构隔段之间悬垂半透明的窗纱，渲染出私密的气氛。由Walter Knoll沙发、桌台、座椅和真丝地毯组成的家具套件配以一盏外形酷似音叉的张扬的黄铜吊灯。另外，沙龙里还陈列了主人收藏的澳洲原住民艺术品。

The heart of the living area on the two upper floors is a generous, L-shaped room, which serves as living and dining space combined. Storage space has been integrated against the walls leading to the staircase: Cabinets with fronts that have been painted a matt shade of green. The two doorways are contained within deep recesses, with sliding doors disguised as walls. The door recess behind the dining table carries over into a shelf niche, while the recess opposite the couch holds a flat-screen television. Two pillars painted a striking orange set strong colour accents, while the dark-stained, maple, parquet floor gives the room a calm base. Contrasting with the subtle flooring  is a three-dimensional, faceted ceiling. Beginning from the point of intersection of the inner walls, its polygonal folds encompass the entire room. Its triangular shapes are painted in different shades of grey, further emphasising its folded nature. The shapes are reflected in polygonal, mirrored sections and incisions at the two end walls of the room. Here too the furniture derives almost exclusively from the Walter Knoll collection. We contrast design with artistic items from the furniture world. The table top of the long dining table, for example, is a unique original: A Persian textile was cast in tinted epoxy resin; pieces of cloth still hang out of the table top to each side.

　　楼上两层居室的亮点是一个宽敞的拐角空间，这里既是起居室，也兼具餐厅功能。通往楼梯的墙壁两侧设置了陈列空间，表面采用哑光粉绿色调。房间里的两扇门均采用推拉结构，视觉效果好似墙面，同时又深深陷入墙体。在餐桌一侧，门框过渡到一个平台。而另一侧的墙壁则轻微下陷，为悬挂电视提供了空间。房间里有两根漆成鲜艳的桔色的立柱，在色调上形成对比。深色浸染处理的枫木地板为整个环境赋予沉稳的气质。平静的地面与三维立体的天花板设计形成对比。聚合一角的多边形覆盖整个天花。每一个三角形采用深浅不同的灰色处理，进一步突出了三维的结构起伏，正面墙上的镜面对天花板的立体结构映射叠加。房间里的家具一如一层，几乎全部来自Walter Knoll的产品组合。我们用家具世界里的艺术品加以配合，例如特制的餐桌桌面：波斯布料浸封在有色环氧树脂中，两侧的布头则悬垂在外。

Haus Benz is an apartment and not a showroom. The owners’ brand and product world are displayed within a context that stands for the Benz family: a vibrant and very personal apartment, filled with artworks. A synthesis that is underscored by the diverse shapes and colours that form the space. In Haus Benz, the brand values of Walter Knoll, combining high-quality materials with the highest standard of quality, can be found in perfect equilibrium with the atmospheric and aesthetic demands of the private individuals that reside here.

　　本茨屋是一间居所，而非展厅。主人麾下的产品和品牌在一个前后关联的环境中得到展现，同时又体现出主人一家的个性和风格——一幢点缀着艺术品的充满活力和个性的居所。明确的形态和深邃的色彩构成空间的特色。在本茨屋当中，Walter Knoll的品牌理念获得了生命：高级材质，高级品质。与此同时，主人个性化的审美情趣在其中也求得平衡。

平面图

地面层布置图

一层布置图

Edit by SAM