‘The building was a lampshade factory and still retains its industrial character’ - My Space: Mechthild Ossenbrunner

Our workshop is situated in Ehrenfeld, on the western side of Cologne. It used to be a scruffy industrial area, but around 20 years ago it was gentrified and is now a trendy, chic area with lots of specialist shops and boutiques. My husband Reinhard and I moved our business to this building at around the same time, and were lucky to find this large space – we have around 170 sq m, with the room in the picture taking up about 100 sq m. In the 19th century the building was a lampshade factory and the workshop still retains its industrial character, such as the cast iron pillar in the centre of the room. Since then, it’s been a dance studio and the atelier of a Japanese artist before we moved in. The upper floors have all been converted into apartments…