Family
In Berlin, a spectacular Joy-Filled Apartment-Studio Bursting with Color
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Maryam Keyhani and Ali Karbassi, Rumi 11 and Dali, 7 years old
Welcome to the Whimsical World of Maryam Keyhani. Where the hats are enormous, the walls are hand-painted, and joy is serious business. It’s impossible to stay neutral in her orbit. With one foot in Tehran, another in Toronto, and a creative heart now firmly planted in Berlin, this artist and milliner lives in a world where play and reality blend together like sugar and butter. Her life—and her home—is a full-blown spectacle, equal parts theater, candy shop, and surrealist dreamscape. And while you might sense, in a glance or a half-sentence, the traces of a woman who’s weathered storms, what stays with you is always the same: her laughter. Big, generous, defiant.
Maryam has been wearing oversized hats since her twenties. She welcomes you into her world in a fantastical dress of her own making and describes her apartment as “a toy store—for adults and kids.” It’s an aesthetic explosion that hits you like a sugar rush: hats that look like cream-filled pastries, colors that walk the tightrope between neon and pastel, motifs that could’ve been piped from a pastry bag.
Some corners feel like a 1930s velvet-draped theater, others like a full-on circus tent. The place resists references—it’s pure Maryam. Hand-painted arabesques wind across the walls, straw and tulle sprout from unexpected places, and color is the reigning monarch. The studio door is always open. Kids, grown-ups (especially the kids), and Missy the Persian cat are welcome any time of day. Visitors are encouraged—no, expected—to draw, dress up, play, and dream. Her motto? “Do whatever you want.” She says it twenty times a day, to her children and to the rest of us lucky enough to visit. Play isn’t a side note in her life—it’s the whole story. And laughter? “One of life’s greatest gifts,” she says with a grin that makes you believe her. So go on—open your eyes wide and step into the magical rabbit hole of a modern-day Wonderland.
Location
Berlin
Author
Elsa Cau
Photos and videos
Constance Gennari
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TSF
Who are you, Maryam ?
Maryam
I’m Maryam Keyhani. The Persian mad hatter…
TSF
What is your professional background ?
Maryam
I studied painting and sculpture at Ocad in Toronto (Ontario College of Art and Design). Then, I flew to Florence for a year, where I painted chandeliers the whole time. I started wearing hats in my early 20’s. I couldn’t always find the hats I was dreaming of wearing – or couldn’t afford them. So I just started to make them. Slowly, it became a bigger endeavor. For me, it’s this odd tension between wanting to hide and wanting to be seen—because let’s face it, these hats are anything but quiet. But over time, they became something more: little tools for spreading joy. I get so much out of watching someone spot one on the street—those bright, ridiculous shapes—and suddenly smile, or just snap out of autopilot for a second. Anyways, I started out in fashion PR, then created a jewelry line—before launching my first collection of felt and straw hats in 2018.
TSF
Maryam, how would you describe your artistic practice?
Maryam
My main practice is painting these days – the hats and the brand is now at a place that I can take some days off to work at my art studio. Which is very nice.
TSF
What are your current projects?
Maryam
I am really interested in doing more community based work at my shop. So currently I’m planning events that can give back to the people living in my neighborhood…
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"Perhaps because I grew up in a chaotic environment I long so much for beauty and play and joy."
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TSF
What kind of environment did you grow up in?
Maryam
Very chaotic and not very aesthetically charming. But my father was a painter, so I grew up with the awful smell of oil painting and the wonderful effects of it ! I really don’t have specific memories tied to the homes of my childhood. The opposite of that. Just that, thankfully, there was always colours and platters and smell of oil paints around. I grew up in Iran until my 13th birthday. Then, we moved to Canada.
TSF
Has this influenced your taste and your perspective on decoration, art, design, and architecture ?
Maryam
I would imagine so … but perhaps because I grew up in a chaotic environment I long so much for beauty and play and joy.
TSF
Tell us the story of this place.
Maryam
We travelled a lot between Germany and Canada, living between places. We finallt settled in Berlin in 2021. We were instantly carried away by Berlin’s energy—we loved it from day one. We love our street because it’s very charming- and the flat is great because I can also have my studio there… which for a lazy person is crucial. As you can see, the place was already an artist studio.
TSF
Did you carry out a lot of renovations here ?
Maryam
Yes, The apartment was an artist studio but it was a disaster zone so a lot had to be done to clean it up. We did a lot of the work but kept the old characters, of course.
TSF
What was the biggest challenge during the renovation process?
Maryam
My husband !
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TSF
What kind of atmosphere did you want to create here?
Maryam
Playful … the whole flat is like a big toy shop.
TSF
Tell us about one or more pieces that you particularly love in your his home.
Maryam
The huge hat light. And my wall of hats. And my bed. I love to sleep — going to bed has always been my best form of therapy. As a child, in a more turbulent context, it was my escape hatch, a way to slip out of the chaos. That connection never really left me.
TSF
What are your go-to addresses in the area?
Maryam
3 tips : my shop next door (Choriner Str. 50, Berlin), Vietnam village (Oderberger Str. 7, Berlin) for a hearty pho during cold Berlin days, and Steam room at Cowshed Soho House (Torstraße 1, Berlin), saving my days !
TSF
What do you think of The Socialite Family ?
Maryam
I love the fact that the people featured are not always the ones I would know of. It’s interesting and real.
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