UNSER BETTENHAUS

When the bed store in Charlottenburg was soon bursting at the seams, the “Bettenhaus Zehlendorf” branch was opened in 1975 at Teltower Damm 28, the current location of Bettenhaus Schmitt. The property, which had housed the “Betten Haupt” bed house since the 1930s, had been in the family since 1900. Mark Schmitt’s grandmother, his father and finally Mark Schmitt himself grew up there.

The post-reunification period also brought many changes for the bed house: after Karin Schmitt retired from business life, the parent company was closed in 1990 and her son Mark Schmitt joined the company. His aim was to expand the ward block in the family-owned property in Zehlendorf. The old building was demolished and significantly enlarged by the construction of two adjoining buildings: The former 250 square meter sales area was expanded to 1250 square meters and thus increased fivefold.

Together with his brother Derk, who had also joined the business in the meantime, Mark Schmitt opened the specialist children’s store “Baby’s In” on the opposite side of the street in 1995. Ten years later, this was integrated into the ward block. Since then, the children’s department has been called “Schmitt’s kids”. Following the successful integration, Derk Schmitt left the company in 2005.

Just five years later, a construction project took place that changed more than just the space in the ward block: a second storey was added to the building. The additional 250 square meters of sales space was used to offer not only beds but also other products related to the bedroom: Sofa beds and wardrobes, lamps, carpets and curtain fabrics. With the expanded range, Bettenhaus Schmitt became a furnishing provider – a significant entrepreneurial step that was communicated to the outside world by a small change to the logo: the addition of “schlafen + wohnen”.

Another important construction measure was the redesign of the exterior façade: in 2012, a glass bay window extending over both floors was added to the two-storey building. The glass front, brightly lit from the inside, reveals what the traditional company is today: a state-of-the-art furniture store – one of the largest and best-known in Berlin.

In the same year, another long-cherished dream was realized: the establishment of a showroom exclusively for Schramm brand products. On an area of 100 square meters, a living landscape was created that is unparalleled in its size and variety in Berlin and is still unique today: In addition to ten box-spring beds and the various mattress systems with all fifteen mattress designs, handmade upholstered benches, side tables and, of course, bed linen from Schramm are also presented here. Mark Schmitt’s decision to dedicate a separate exhibition to Schramm products was not made overnight. The wish had been growing for years…