Architects 51N4E converted an old shop into a contemporary weekend-home. The renovation of this small terraced house, along one of the ‘Reien’ in the historical heart of Bruges, Belgium, consists of reinterpreting the typical cramped back buildings as a spacious and generously lit winter garden. The facade as well as the assets of the old house was kept intact. The double-height space, entirely covered in timber planks, starts off as an arch which gradually lifts asymmetrically towards the back, framing the tall tree of a neighboring garden.

The old house has been completely renovated with partly new flooring and new color schemes for the facade, walls and ceilings. In the back where there use to be a temporary shed, the architects designed a wooden room. The custom made kitchen furniture with integrated fire place doubles as a working area, becoming the new center of the house. The old stairs in the kitchen reflect in the shiny super-furniture they newly designed. The strength of the architecture is found through the confrontation between the historical/anecdotal and the contemporary/universal. Via

Photos: Åke E:son Lindman