Munich/Los Angeles, January 2019: A style that is second to none: Timelessly coherent and reduced to the essentials - a century after its foundation, the Bauhaus style is influencing architects and designers today. The once revolutionary idea of design can be found in the former residence of German author Thomas Mann in Los Angeles, USA. After careful restoration, the villa - which today bears the name of its famous occupant - was furnished by German designers, including the lighting manufacturer Occhio, and serves as an example of timeless creative work.

The estate in Pacific Palisades, built in 1942 by the German architect Julius Ralph Davidson, already convinced Thomas Mann, who called it his home for ten years together with his family. Acquired by the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016, the Thomas Mann House has been elaborately restored in keeping with its former style and furnished by well-known representatives of contemporary German interior design.

Inspiring for the spatial concept of the villa was the Bauhaus guiding principle "form follows function". German design classics from various decades were used in the Californian residence of the Federal Government and ensure a timeless and inviting design. The interior concept was always based on the idea of maintaining the open character of the house and reflecting man's attitude and character in the present. When deciding on the design and materials of the furniture, particular emphasis was placed on emphasising the character of the house.

"For the interior design concept we exercised restraint and chose furniture that does not push itself into the foreground but allows air to breathe," says Ursula Seeba-Hannan, owner of the Berlin design and construction company Lenzwerk Holding, who was responsible for the interior design. "Guests should feel welcome and inspired as soon as they enter the Thomas Mann House."

The typical Occhio interplay of timeless design, traditional surfaces and a well thought-out lighting concept brings the past and present into harmony in the Thomas Mann House. With their technically functional design, Più R ceiling spots provide pleasant glare-free ambient lighting in all rooms and corridors. The cones of light characteristic of Occhio and the play of light and shadow on the walls give the rooms a certain dynamism. Occhio reading lights in bronze set additional accents. They harmonise with the bright seating groups in the common rooms and bedrooms and impress with their warm elegance and first-class lighting quality. In the corridor, the Sento verticale wall luminaire sets targeted accents and creates surfaces through the interplay of diffuse light upwards and defined light cones downwards. The library was deliberately designed with lots of wood and is thus one of the quiet zones in the house. The homeliness is further enhanced by indirect light, which is warmly reflected by the honey-coloured wooden shelves.

The Thomas Mann House serves the Federal Republic of Germany as a residence for intellectuals from the fields of culture, politics, business, media and science of the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. scholarship program.

Year of realisation: 2018
Interior fittings & Interior design: Lenzwerk Holding
Lighting design: Lenzwerk Holding
Lighting: Piú R alto white matt, Sento lettura gold, Sento letto gold, Sento verticale gold von Occhio

100 years of Bauhaus: The perfect interior concept inspired by the Thomas Mann House in L.A.

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