5 Under-the-Radar Berlin Spots to Discover the City "Beyond the Obvious" — Picked by the Designer of Its Hippest New Hotel
Rachael Gowdridge's latest project and a long-term friendship in the German capital have made its creative pulse one of the key inspirations for how she approaches design
"Berlin is creative, a bit rough around the edges, and all the more interesting for it," London-based interior designer Rachael Gowdridge tells me of the base of her newest hotel project, The Dean Berlin, which she has learned to love over repeated visits throughout its WIP months, as well as thanks to a personal connection in the capital.
"One of my best friends lives in the city," she explains. "Seeing it through her lens gave me a real feel for it beyond the obvious", the suspicion that there is more to see besides the usual itineraries.
Gowdridge, who has inaugurated The Dean Berlin earlier this spring — 81 spirited, color-drenched guest rooms, a collector-worthy lounge stacked with some of the coolest designs of the past decades, and a buzzy ground-floor eatery, Benedict — now looks at it whenever she finds herself in need of new inspiring stimuli.
It's incredibly energizing creatively," she explains. "The architecture, art scene, and independent spirit all feed into how I approach design." And no trip to it is ever complete without a pit stop at these five favorites.
1. "You Can Only Visit on a Guided Tour" — Discover Under-the-Radar Art Hubs
"The program is always strong, but it's really the building that stays with you."
Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, 10969 Berlin, Germany; Reinhardtstraße 20, 10117 Berlin, Germany
My favorite art space in Berlin is König Galerie. It's set inside a former Brutalist church in Kreuzberg, which makes the whole experience quite striking — huge concrete volumes, dramatic light, and these vast exhibition spaces. The program is always strong, but it's really the building that stays with you. Another memorable address in Berlin is the Boros Collection — a private collection of contemporary art housed in a former bunker. You can only visit on a guided tour, which gives it a very intimate feel. Moving through the raw concrete spaces, with contemporary art layered into them, feels completely different to a typical gallery.
2. "The Bar at the Top Is a Highlight" — Get a Multisensory Design Experience at Fotografiska Berlin
More than a photography gallery, Fotografiska Berlin is a true architectural and design marvel. It features a concept store alongside a restaurant, a cafe, and a bar, with interiors ranging from glamorous to earthy mid-century style.
Oranienburger Str. 54, 10117 Berlin, Germany
I'm really drawn to Fotografiska Berlin, which sits within the reworked Tacheles building. It's a good example of how Berlin approaches historic structures; nothing feels overdone. The photography is always interesting, but it's also about the atmosphere. The bar at the top is a highlight, with surprisingly calm views across the city. Here, you'll also find a restaurant and a cafe-cum-bakery.
3. "It's Got That Rare Balance of Refinement and Warmth" — Test Drive Favorite Foodie Spots
For Gowdridge, Bottega Seppel hits the sweet balance between "refinement and warmth".
Giesebrechtstraße 3, 10629 Berlin, Germany; Fasanenstraße 40, 10719 Berlin-Bezirk Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Germany
We discovered Bottega Seppel while working on our hotel project, The Dean Berlin, in Charlottenburg. It quickly became a favourite: the interiors, atmosphere, food, and wine are all exceptional, with that rare balance of refinement and warmth. If the evening runs late, it's worth finishing with a cocktail at The Rum Trader, a tiny, legendary bar nearby that feels wonderfully frozen in time.
4. "The Selection Is Brilliant" — Expand Your Artsy Book Collection
From the most stylish coffee table books to rare art and architecture volumes, Bücherbogen am Savignyplatz is the printed matter paradise you've been looking for.
Stadtbahnbogen 593, 10623 Berlin-Bezirk Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Germany
I love browsing the books at Bücherbogen am Savignyplatz. It sits beneath the S-Bahn arches and is one of those places you could easily miss. The selection is brilliant — architecture and design books you don't often come across elsewhere. It's the kind of shop you dip into quickly and end up staying far longer than you meant to.
5. "It Feels Almost Endless" — Take a Break From It All in the Great Outdoors
If you're looking for a quintessentially Berlin hangout, Tempelhofer Feld is the one.
Tempelhofer Damm, 12101 Berlin, Germany
Tempelhofer Feld is unique. The former airport runway has become this huge open park where people cycle, garden, or just sit and watch the sunset. The scale is what makes it — it feels almost endless, right in the middle of the city. There's something quite freeing about it.
One (Lesser Known) Thing
June calls for an out-of-the-city day by the beach, and the Berlin area's lush lakes are just right for it.
What people often don't realise is how close Berlin is to nature. The city is surrounded by lakes and woodland, and it's completely normal to head out of the city for a swim or a boat day at the weekend. It gives Berlin a very different pace: you get the intensity of a metropolis, but also a real sense of escape.
Where to Stay in Berlin
The Dean Berlin
From a Vico Magistretti Telegono Lamp to a biomorphic IKEA piece by Eva and Peter Moritz and Memphis-inspired veneered shelving, the Dean Berlin is where design's finest is at.
IN A SENTENCE: Berlin's newest creative hub, The Dean Berlin, brings the namesake Irish hotel group's laidback-chic sensibility to Charlottenburg with 81 individually decorated rooms wrapped in an unexpectedly cheerful palette, offering travelers a colorful, art-filled antidote to the city's brutalist edges.
DESIGN DOWNLOAD: British designer Rachael Gowdridge's vision marries acidic greens, fire red, seashell pink, mint, and chartreuse with biophilic, earthy browns, all set against patinated plaster walls, original mosaic floors, and painted period paneling.
Curated by Thom Oosterhof under the name Wanderers, sculptural finds — from a Vico Magistretti Telegono Lamp to a biomorphic IKEA piece by Eva and Peter Moritz — sit alongside Memphis-inspired veneered shelving, checkered floors, and velvety, jewel-toned seating, giving the common areas a collector's home feel.
Pastel tones and spirited artwork transform each suite and bedroom at The Dean Berlin into a creative refuge for keen globetrotters.
ON THE MENU: Benedict, the hotel's all-day restaurant and café, wraps guests in chartreuse, earthy brown gradients, and pops of pink and deep green — a fittingly playful backdrop for relaxed, all-day dining.
DON'T MISS: The retro-edged bathrooms with their statement color drenching, the cocooning red vestibules that greet guests on arrival to each suite, and rooms with private balconies or outdoor areas where the mint-green accents take center stage.
Château Royal
The artist-design guest bedrooms of this Berlin hotel take the prize.
IN A SENTENCE: Tucked between the government district and Museum Island, just steps from the Brandenburg Gate, Château Royal is the 93-room embodiment of Berlin's cosmopolitan spirit — a hotel where reinterpreted Belle Époque grandeur meets a sprawling collection of contemporary art, all wrapped in the warmth of hosts who feel more like generous, slightly eccentric friends than staff.
DESIGN DOWNLOAD: Behind the careful restoration of the 1850 and 1910 buildings is David Chipperfield Architects, while interior direction from Irina Kromayer, alongside architect Etienne Descloux and designer Katariina Minits, breathes new life into the property's storied bones.
Original details from the city's former golden ages — ornate moldings, parquet, and grand proportions — are reinterpreted rather than preserved in amber, giving every space a lived-in, collected-over-time feel. No two of the 93 rooms and suites are alike, as each was designed by a different artist, with creative direction from Celia Solf tying the eclectic whole together.
The atmosphere is warm, inspired, and calm, and the interiors, decorated with artworks by influential creatives, make for a slower-paced, more intimate art experience than Berlin's galleries and museums.
ON THE MENU: Restaurant Château Royal serves modern Mediterranean comfort food built around dishes meant to feel like old favorites, while the hotel's connections to Berlin society staples like Grill Royal and Einstein Unter den Linden put some of the city's buzziest tables within easy reach.
DON'T MISS: Site-specific works by over 100 contemporary artists, curated by co-founder Kirsten Landwehr with Krist Gruijthuijsen of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, woven through the bar, restaurant, corridors, and every guestroom — plus the hotel's own insider guide to Berlin, packed with hidden gems handpicked by the team and their friends.
Holiday Delights
Take Berlin's edge home with you with our curated selection of buys.
Keen for a vacation but still don't know where exactly to head? Dive into our recent hot list of design-worthy new hotel openings 2026 for a worldly edit of must-know stays.
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