In our search for inspiration and adventure we made a short visit to Berlin last month, a contemporary unidentified European metropolis where we loved its art scene.  Besides visiting some amazing shops, which you can only find in Berlin, we also visited an iconic symbol of the city’s rebellious, post-reunification counter-culture art center: Kunsthause Tacheles. The building houses an artists collective and makes a huge, colourful impression with graffiti-style murals which are painted on the exterior walls and modern art sculptures featuring inside.

This alternative art-house was established around the 90´s in the ruins of a former department store / warehouse formerly used by the Nazis, DDR union organizers and cinema enthusiasts. Still noticeably a ruin, it is simultaneously a vibrant, living home for the arts. The building contains ateliers and workshops, a nightclub, and a cinema.

Although Tacheles continues to represent the changes endured by the city after the fall of the Wall, they still faces the threat of closure and at this very moment it is still not clear what will happen with the artists.

Soho House Berlin

Located in the fashionable Mitte District, Soho House Berlin is the newest outpost of this global private members club. Soho House was founded in London, in 1995, as a private members’ club for those in film, media and creative industries. With hotels spanning across the UK, Europe and the US, Berlins Soho House is set over eight floors of a restored Bauhaus building in the Mitte district, Soho House Berlin includes a full Cowshed Spa and gym, a rooftop pool, restaurants, bars, a screening room and a private dining area as well as 40 comfortable bedrooms.

Originally opened in 1928 as a department store, the property was seized by the wartime government before being occupied by the post-war, Communist regime until 1956. It was then used to house the Communist Party archives and the Central Committee’s Historical Institution. After German reunification the building was legally returned to the descendents of its original owners.

If you are not a Soho House member but you know someone who knows someone : don’t forget to visit the 8th floor and take a dip in the pool or enjoy the amazing view!