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Once a private residence, this building was recently transformed into a transit house where homeless people can stay while finding jobs and independent housing. Located in the Merksem district of Antwerp, Belgium, the building retains its original brick facade and staircase. The marble fireplace and sleek kitchen furnishings are new but complement the vintage flooring and detailed woodwork. Bovenbouw Architecture refurbished the house, installing new ceilings, wiring, and fittings and brightening the interior with pops of color. The contemporary design features ceilings, walls, glass inlays, and kitchen backsplashes in almost every color of the rainbow. The sheer difference between one room and the next makes it seem as though the house itself were collected over years of thrift shopping. Rather than disrupting the flow of the transit house, this makes it seem more like a home where one is welcomed and can feel at peace.
Photography by Tom Verstraeten
