A Bauhaus-Inspired Apartment in Budapest Gives Nod to the Past

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Tucked inside a 1930s Bauhaus villa in Budapest, this 970-square-foot apartment by interior designer Sarolta Huttl is a living homage to family legacy. What began as part of a larger unit has been transformed into a light-filled, modern home for the designer’s family of three, balancing reverence for history with the needs of contemporary life.

The renovation began with the facade. The original exterior, dating back to 1932, was meticulously restored to respect the architectural integrity of the villa. That same idea guided the interiors, where Huttl and her partner, film director Luka Kostil, reimagined the apartment through the lens of Bauhaus principles while adapting them for the way people actually live today. Their shared goal was to create a home that felt both rooted in history and refreshingly current, a place where beauty serves function without ever feeling sterile.

A modern kitchen corner with green cabinets, yellow shelves holding colorful glassware, and striped vases on a gray countertop against a white tiled wall.

Inside, the once-fragmented layout now flows with purpose. The open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area forms the heart of the home where the family can gather. A highlight design moment occurs in the main bedroom, where an oversized original window was restored, and now filters natural light through an interior glass panel into the kitchen. The glass is framed within a custom-built wardrobe that stretches wall-to-wall. When the sun sets, it glows softly from within, transforming into an atmospheric light installation that shifts the apartment’s mood from bright and airy to warm and intimate.

A modern kitchen with green cabinets, open yellow shelves holding dishes, and a metal shelving unit with pink doors and plants. A radiator and framed print are on the wall.

The kitchen sets the tone for the main living space with teal green lower cabinets and crisp white square tiles on the wall behind that rise to the ceiling. Muted reddish-pink chairs surround the rectangular &Tradition dining table with the addition of one sunny yellow chair at the head. A set of four mirror-backed yellow shelves displays a vibrant array of vintage Hungarian glass and porcelain pieces for extra pops of color. The result makes for a cheery color palette against the white walls.

A tall, light blue metal shelving unit with plants, a lamp, boxes, and decorative items stands against a wall in a modern living room.

Minimalist kitchen with green cabinets, a wooden dining table with red chairs, bookshelves, and glass partition walls in a bright, modern interior.

Locally sourced hardwood parquet brings timeless warmth to the space, while handmade cement tiles and marble surfaces add subtle texture. Cabinetry throughout was crafted from Valchromat, a richly colored, eco-friendly MDF alternative that adds a playful edge. Its bold hues inject energy into the minimalist palette, a reminder that modernism doesn’t have to mean monochrome.

A modern living room with a dark blue sofa, colorful geometric rug, glass coffee table with books, framed art on the wall, a floor lamp, and potted plants.

In the living room area, a Marset Dipping Light displays similar rusty hues to the ABRA rug below, both grounded by a navy Mags Sofa by HAY. A walnut Eames Turned Stool for Vitra adds warmth and an extra place to sit.

A bright room with a large window, patterned rug, small textured table, wooden dresser, and a few small toy animals on the floor.

A bright living room with large windows, patterned rugs, a dark sofa, bookshelf, wooden furniture, indoor plants, and an open door leading to a balcony with greenery outside.

A living room with bookshelves filled with books, a patterned rug, a potted plant, a framed artwork, and a windowed partition above the shelves.

A modern interior with a small enclosed room featuring frosted upper windows, bookshelves, a red stool, a wooden bench, and a fur rug on parquet flooring.

A partially open sliding door reveals a bedroom with a window, radiator, and bed, illuminated by soft natural and pink-tinted light.

For Huttl, this project is deeply personal. Her grandparents’ summer house – with its striking metal-framed glass facades – shaped her design sensibility early on. And her grandmother, an architectural historian specializing in Bauhaus, instilled in her a lifelong admiration for the movement’s philosophy. In this apartment, those influences merge beautifully. It’s both a tribute and an evolution: a way to live with the ideals of Bauhaus, not as a museum piece, but as a warm and joyful part of everyday life.

A minimalist room with white walls, frosted glass partitions, a white rug with small colored dots, and a small pouf in the corner.

A bedroom with a bed and a large window, partially open, showing green trees and a building outside. A white radiator is below the window.

Minimalist room with white wardrobes, frosted glass partition above, a sliding door, wood flooring, a light-colored rug, and a green and white ceiling lamp.

Sunlight enters a minimalist room with parquet flooring, a partially open door, built-in cabinets, and a chest of drawers visible in the adjacent room.

Built-in storage cabinets with a recessed bench and teal accents beside an open doorway leading to a hallway with white walls and a patterned rug.

A children's playroom with a rug, large blue foam blocks, various toys on the floor, a small side table with books, a framed artwork, and an open window showing green trees outside.

Modern bathroom with green and beige tiles, a white sink, large mirror, wall-mounted toilet, two round lights, and green plants on the windowsill.

A pink shower curtain partially covers a wall with light beige and dark green square tiles above a dark green tiled bathtub.

A white door is slightly open in a dimly lit room with pinkish lighting, revealing a narrow strip of brighter light from the other side.

A sunlit balcony with a cushioned wooden bench, small stool, potted plant, and a frosted glass privacy screen, attached to a pink-walled building.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a light blue shirt and jeans stands against a plain light-colored wall, looking at the camera.

Designer Sarolta Huttl

For more information on Sarolta Huttl, please visit saroltahuttl.com.

Photography by Balazs Mate.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.





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