Designer Sam Makepeace created a dream home in Germany for a high-profile client and ended up moving in herself…… While working in Toronto Sam Makepeace (young and talented interior designer practicing in Toronto) met Cornel Brenninkmeyer (scion of the Dutch-German industrial dynasty) who asked her to overhaul his new house. “He asked me flat out if he could hire me, and I said no” says Sam. Rather, they fell in love and she did it for free. The couple recently got married and Sam now divides her time between Germany and Canada. She has just finished the redecoration of the house in Cologne where she now lives with her husband. The 90 year old semi-detached home, one of city’s oldest, was equipped with a bomb shelter in the basement and the house was bombed heavily during the Second World War. The bomb shelter has since become a storage room painted high gloss cherry red. The house withstood severe structural damage addressed by Sam during the renovation. The house is opulent, loaded with beloved art and character.