ÏMA Design Village

Located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, the 18th century factory was converted into a multifaceted space to serve as a melting pot of creative minds and entrepreneurs. The founders, Eyal Burstein and Marina Ostrowski, envisioned an alternative community that challenges traditional ways of thinking about business, design, art and working models. This concept came to life as a unified platform for living, working, connecting and sharing. Opened in January 2009, ÏMA has established itself as a home and catalyst for an interconnected creative community. ÏMA Loft Apartments offer a collection of modern, spacious, loft-style apartments equipped for mid – to long-term stays for temporary residencies and independent tourism. ÏMA Spaces for businesses and retailers are located around the ÏMA Design Village courtyard and, along with ÏMA’le Cafe provide the village’s communal space and permanent community character. ÏMA Events uses a collection of variously sized spaces around the village, available for events and other temporary/pop-up uses. Villagers are actively encouraged to use these spaces for their own events with professional assistance by the ÏMA Team, the village’s marketing department, whose aim is to animate and introduce the village to as wide an audience as possible, allowing villagers to thrive in a community promoting mindful content both within the village and the wider neighbourhood. The union of all these different venues has results in an innovation ecosystem, enabling creative partnerships and businesses to flourish. The combination creates a wide variety of possibilities for working, events and living.

Launch campaign of 30 curated events and installations by 15 international artists brought almost 45,000 visitors over three days, and significant media coverage. Built a local community while connecting with an international creative community. Property value was significantly raised over time.