Rental Revamp: A Berlin Designer Pieces Together His Own Italo-Disco Paradise

With about 860 square feet at his disposal, interior designer Charly Villain has room to play around. Armed with YouTube tutorials and undiluted optimism, the autodidactic designer is renovating his rented maisonette in the heart of Berlin into an Italo-disco oasis—and sharing what he learns on Instagram.

Though he was born and raised in Berlin, Charly confesses that he’s always been fascinated by Italian design and culture. One of his earliest DIY projects was carving Roman busts out of wax, and his name on Facebook as a teen was “Charly Antonelli.” When he moved out of a shared apartment with friends in early 2024, he finally found the space to explore this passion.

Like many millennials, he scoured magazines, books, and the internet for inspiration as he searched for a style that felt like his own. Now, a year and a half into his journey, his vision is much clearer: He’s graduated from scrolling Pinterest boards to shopping designer showrooms, and from carving wax into custom woodwork.

“I like to do everything myself,” Charly says. He’s careful, but confident, and always happy to try something new, like modding an Ikea dresser or laying down fresh carpet. Whereas some makers swear by the adage “measure twice, cut once,” Charly is keen to rapidly iterate. “I just think about how to do something as fast as possible,” he says. And if he doesn’t like it? “Change it later.”