Far from ordinary: A Rule-Breaking Elbphilharmonie Home

André Borchers on his chromatic terrace next to a sculpture by Tony Cragg. Photography: Kozystudioberlin.

In an era dominated by beige minimalism and algorithmic interiors, André Borchers has created something radically different. High above Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the collector’s cinematic apartment unfolds as a layered world of contemporary art, mirrored architecture, collectible fashion, sculptural furniture, and deeply personal heirlooms. The result is neither traditional luxury nor conventional maximalism, but something far more intimate: a portrait of identity told through objects, atmosphere, and emotion.

Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam sat down with Borchers to discuss collecting, emotional interiors, and why perfection has never interested him.

The dining room with handmade chairs by Edra.

HBZVN: Your home feels incredibly personal – almost autobiographical. Did you always envision it that way?

ANDRE BORCHERS: Absolutely. I never wanted the apartment to feel like a showroom or a perfectly staged interior. I wanted it to feel alive. Every object here carries energy, memory, or emotion. Some pieces are incredibly valuable, others are sentimental family objects, but for me they exist on the same level emotionally.

Magnum Rose Vase by Daum. Art work Buste d’homme à la Pipe by Picasso.

HBZVN: The apartment moves between glamour and intimacy very fluidly. Was that contrast intentional?

ANDRE BORCHERS: Very much so. I’m drawn to contrasts in general — bronze against marble, contemporary art beside vintage heirlooms, reflective surfaces mixed with softer emotional elements. I think contrast makes interiors interesting. If everything is too polished or too coordinated, it becomes forgettable.

Kitchen out of Palisander and Brass by Studio Birg Man Koen.

Set of paintings by Gerhard Richter in the kitchen area.

HBZVN: There’s a strong cinematic atmosphere throughout the apartment.

ANDRE BORCHERS: Cinema influences me a lot. Lighting especially. I love spaces that transform throughout the day. In the evening, the apartment becomes much moodier – the reflections, the shadows, the neon pieces, the bronze surfaces – everything changes. I wanted the apartment to feel immersive, almost like stepping into another world.

Eye catcher: Huge Amethyst druse. Painting by Paul Schrader.

Lamp by Roll and Hill. Painting by Indian artist Rhagav Babbar.

HBZVN: Your art collection ranges from Picasso and Richter to younger contemporary artists. How do you approach collecting?

ANDRE BORCHERS: Emotion first. Always. I never buy something purely because it’s important historically or financially. I have to react to it immediately. Sometimes a younger artist can move me more than a museum-level piece. I love creating dialogue between generations and different energies.

Collectors Wall in the powder room. Richter, Picassso, Banksy and Warhol next to newcomer artists, Von Motz – Soraya and Ruben Benjamin. The Warhol shows family friend Colleen Rosenblat – fotographed and painted by Andy Warhol around 1980.

Art by Felix Blume and Three Men walking by Alberto Giacometti. Sideboard: Fornasetti.

Heritage piece: Frantisek Kupka curated by Andrés Grandmother.

HBZVN: Tracey Emin’s neon “You Forgot to Kiss My Soul” feels especially emotional within the apartment…

ANDRE BORCHERS: That piece completely changes the atmosphere of the dining room. There’s vulnerability in it, softness. The apartment has a lot of strong architectural gestures and reflective materials, so the Emin work introduces something more human and emotional.

Neon Art by Tracey Emin.

HBZVN: Fashion also seems deeply integrated into your interiors.

ANDRE BORCHERS: Fashion has always been part of how I express myself visually. But I don’t separate fashion from art or design. To me, a rare Hermès piece, a Chanel jacket, a sculpture, and a painting can all exist within the same conversation. They’re all forms of craftsmanship and storytelling.

Inherited statue, Hermés HAC Cosmos bags and art piece by Soltani (Image by Zsofia Bodnar).

Imported Butterflies from the Amazonas.

HBZVN: Your shoe room has become almost legendary online.

ANDRE BORCHERS: (Laughs.) I didn’t expect that reaction. But I understand it because the room is very immersive visually. I like archival presentation – displaying things almost like a private boutique. But I also genuinely wear and live with these pieces. Nothing is locked away.

Iconic shoe closet.

HBZVN: One of the most touching details is the use of objects connected to your grandmother.

ANDRE BORCHERS: Those pieces are probably the most important things in the apartment. The cushions made from her vintage jaguar coat, old personal objects, little heirlooms – they bring warmth into the space. Without those emotional layers, exclusivity can become cold very quickly.

Knoll chairs with Cushions out of Andre’s grandmothers jaguar coat.

Vintage phone, lamp by Kögl and limited edition light pink Goyard trunk.

HBZVN: Your home feels fearless compared to many contemporary luxury interiors.

ANDRE BORCHERS: I think many people are afraid of personality now. Everyone wants timelessness and neutrality. But I think true luxury is individuality. A home should reveal something about the person living there. Otherwise it’s just aesthetically pleasing emptiness.

1970s tables by Karl Springer.

Sibling sculpture and Chanel basketball.

HBZVN: What does luxury mean to you today?

ANDRE BORCHERS: Freedom. The freedom to create your own world without following trends too closely. And emotional connection. I’m not interested in perfection. I’m interested in atmosphere, memory, and feeling.

André Borchers Next to a Banksy art piece that is one of his aspirations (Image by Zsofia Bodnar.)

HBZVN: Finally, is there one object in the apartment you could never part with?

ANDRE BORCHERS: Probably the pieces connected to family history. Art can be replaced. Design can be replaced. But emotional memory cannot. Those objects carry the soul of the apartment.

Harper’s Bazaar Việt Nam

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