Welcome to Schminke House, an architectural masterpiece

Deutsche Welle's new music talk show "Night Grooves" takes place in one of the most iconic buildings in the world: Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. The villa was designed by architect Hans Scharoun in the 1930s for the Schminke family, which was involved in factory industry. It is now recognized as one of four key representations of the "New Objectivity" architectural style worldwide.

Fritz Schminke inherited a local pasta factory in Löbau from his father. When his house that he shared with his brother started to get too small for the growing families, Schminke commissioned Scharoun to build a new one in the factory garden. Due to its resemblance to a boat, the house is popularly known as the "noodle steamship."

Architect Hans Scharoun was born in northern Germany, a region that never ceased to inspire him. In his work, he always strived for harmonious, lively and functional coexistence of people, buildings and nature. He spent weeks studying the habits of the Schminke family in order to make life in the house as comfortable as possible. Schminke House was the work closest to Scharoun's heart.

Since the family had four children, Scharoun also designed a large playroom in the center of the house, which was uncommon at the time. There was a special built-in blackboard in one of the walls and two window openings, through which the kids could slip outside. A curtain could be drawn when the children wanted to remain hidden, or when the parents wanted a little peace and quiet!

Fritz Schminke wanted the villa to be "a modern house for two parents, four children and one or two occasional guests." The living room was, of course, its central meeting point. The sofa, as seen in the picture, was long enough for the whole family and several visitors. A replica of the original seen above sits in the living room today.

Large sliding glass doors lead directly from the living room to the sunroom. Here, the holes and lights in the ceiling create a particularly interesting mood. The extra holes in the doors were made for children, and their colorful pattern can be found in the whole house.

The parents' bedroom lies right above the sunroom. The different positions of the two beds may seem weird, but they only reflect the different preferences of each spouse: While Fritz Schminke liked to have a clear view of his factory's chimneys, Charlotte Schminke loved looking out at the garden and wanted to be awakened by the rising sun.

The kitchen, which is situated at the far end of the house, is just as modern as the rest of the villa. It was built in the style of "Frankfurt kitchens," a design developed by architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky at the end of the 1920s. She focused on optimizing the workflow to make sure that household chores could be performed by the staff as easily as possible.

The natural surroundings of the house were just as important as the villa itself. The large glass windows allowed those inside to contemplate the garden and a pond where the four Schminke kids liked to spend time swimming.

The open, modern spaces of the Schminke House are the perfect setting for "Night Grooves," helping the musicians to feel at right home in an exceptional setting. When everybody is sitting on the long sofa, the boundaries between cultures and genres start to blur immediately, giving rise to special musical moments.