Spaces that spark the imagination: Berlin-based studio N.J. Interiors creates luxurious, holistic living environments in which design, art and architecture seamlessly merge. With her distinctive eye for shapes and colours, textures and details, founder Nathalie Nikolai gives these exclusive interiors her unmistakable personal signature. For a current Berlin project, we accompanied Nathalie and her work photographically. The focus here was on the spaces themselves: their materials, proportions, colors, and above all the many details that characterize Nathalie’s design.
A passion for design
Nathalie Nikolai’s holistic approach to design is rooted in a career that is both interdisciplinary and cosmopolitan. She studied textile and fashion design in Munich before completing a Master of Fine Arts in London. During this time, she gained valuable experience working for fashion icon Marc Jacobs in Paris, among others, before joining the legendary London-based architecture firm Foster + Partners, where she deepened her understanding of form, colour and proportion. In 2019, Nathalie Nikolai brought together her broad range of creative expertise and gave her passion for design a new direction: she moved to Berlin and founded her own studio, N.J. Interiors. Since then, she and her team have been developing and curating high-end residential environments, with a focus on luxury private residences in the high-end segment.
Holistic spatial compositions
The studio’s approach goes far beyond conventional interior design. Its aim is to create holistic spatial compositions that are coherent down to the smallest detail. Nathalie Nikolai creates living spaces that convey elegance and a strong sense of style without sacrificing emotion and atmosphere. This is achieved, among other things, through the use of nuanced colour palettes and the selection of exquisite materials. The result is interiors with a clear design identity and a strong sense of individuality, underpinned by a deep understanding of people, architecture and context. One of N.J. Interiors’ defining characteristics is the customisation of individual interior elements. Almost all furniture is made specifically for each project, with the designs consistently created by Nathalie Nikolai herself. These carefully crafted, finely finished one-of-a-kind pieces place an even stronger emphasis on craftsmanship, which in turn contributes to the authentic character of the spaces.
Elegance, exclusivity and finesse
Creative exchange, ideation and the design process take place primarily at the studio in Berlin, from where Nathalie Nikolai works with clients across Europe. Her aim is to fully understand their personal ideas and visions and translate them into a unique aesthetic through intuition and expertise. This is made possible by seamless, comprehensive project management, covering everything from the floor plan to the completed interior. Among the studio’s most recent projects is a loft in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district. Expressive and rich in colour, it combines selected antiques with contemporary elements, bringing together velvet, brass and dark woods to create the impression of a space that has evolved organically over many years. Nathalie Nikolai has a more personal connection to the villa on Lake Como, which is owned by her family. Here, the task is to carefully complement the historic setting with a contemporary design language without smoothing away the patina and Mediterranean charm of the property. Both projects illustrate how Nathalie Nikolai and N.J. Interiors approach residential spaces: sometimes urban and relaxed, sometimes with the appropriate respect for architectural heritage, but always with elegance, exclusivity and finesse.
