Gartenstadt Falkenberg

While this humble grouping of homes may appear normal to the modern eye, this housing estate had quite a shocking feature to their first reviewers. Designed by a progressive architect, this project became well-known for exhibiting color to Berliners in a whole new way.

The first of six Modernism Housing Estates built in Berlin in the early 20th century, Gartenstadt Falkenberg was the brainchild of Bruno Taut. The designer was a part of the progressive building movement to reform housing conditions in Berlin, thinking of new ways to house low-income families and urban environments. Gartenstadt, translating to “Garden City,” was realized by grouping the homes around a green-filled courtyard, delightfully hidden from the bustle of Berlin. Most famously, however, Taut wished to create joy for his future home dwellers by decorating the houses with an immense array of colors and patterns. The development’s colors became so famous that it became known by locals as “Tuschkastensiedlung,” aptly translating to the “Paint Box Housing Estate.”

While not as affordable as it once was to live in one of its homes today, thankfully, a homebuyer does not need to be able to say “Tuschkastensiedlung” to get under contract.