Sense of space – with Florian Bauer

Arriving home.

Florian: A room without atmosphere doesn't appeal to me. It needs balanced proportions, deliberate lighting, texture and calm. The interplay of light, acoustics and materials plays a role too. When a room breathes and radiates quietness without being intrusive, the feeling naturally arises that I want to stay.

Florian: Coming home starts with a feeling of familiarity. A specific scent, soft light, or a familiar object can trigger that feeling instantly. It is often the simple things that tell you: Now I am here.

Finding calm.

Florian: A home needs a connection to nature – not necessarily through large panoramic windows that expose a room and strip it of protection and intimacy. The outdoors often enters a house more quietly: through the shifting play of light and shadow, the wind in the leaves, or the rain on the roof, making the rhythm of the place felt within. 

Perhaps that is why it takes fewer sweeping views and more focused perspectives – a few deliberately placed openings that do not show the outside in full, but make its presence felt.

Florian: When too many things compete for attention. A room doesn't need to be crowded to feel complete. I prefer working with a few well-chosen pieces that match in material, proportion, and craftsmanship – and I deliberately leave space between them.

Clutter often comes from over-decorating: too many small objects, materials, colors, or visible cables. Then I first remove what doesn't truly add value, letting the few remaining things make a stronger impact.

Florian: I don’t think a room should only feel beautiful at a certain time of day. I’m much more interested in how it changes throughout the day – from the first morning light into the late evening hours. A good room can hold different moods and be experienced anew depending on the light and how it is used.

© Alex Schidlbauer

Florian: A candle brings a different kind of light into a room. It is not static. It moves, casts soft shadows and shifts the atmosphere. It creates something real and quiet. Light is not just illumination. It is a moment and a ritual.

Florian: In the patina, the craft, and the details that do not strive for perfection. Good spaces emerge when you take the time to truly understand materials and objects and bring them into harmony. You find pieces with a history, honest materials, and traces of use. Nothing feels accidental - and yet nothing feels forced. You can feel that the room has grown over time.

Florian: As an architect, I believe that a home needs a clear and precise structure. But not everything can be planned. Over time, spaces reveal how they are actually used and lived in. New scenarios emerge quite naturally—ones that couldn't be foreseen during the design phase. A home should allow for this openness, because making a space your own takes time.

Scent and memory.

Florian: Freshly cut wood and herbs like rosemary and thyme. I grew up in a garden filled with herbs. To this day, those scents connect me immediately to home – to the garden, the craft, and a natural closeness to life outdoors.

Florian: I find many Looops scents very appealing, so I don't have a single fixed favorite. For me, scents change with the seasons and the mood they create in a room.

In summer, Sonnenstund is perfect – light, fresh, and fitting for the season. In autumn and winter, I tend to reach for Heimkehr. The scent is warmer and quieter.

The house in the garden.

Plenty of light, clean lines, and the garden right outside the door. In the BAUA garden studio, you can feel what Florian talks about in the interview – a few carefully chosen things and room in between.

If you want to experience the house for yourself, you can book it for a quiet getaway at Lake Achensee in Tyrol.