De Groote Engel: unique restoration in wabi sabi style

Mechelen SOLD

305

112

3

1
 
More info

“The restoration was done very thoroughly and completely but our starting point was always to restore the original value.”

The owners
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De Groote Engel: unique restoration in wabi sabi style

Sint-Katelijnestraat 53
2800 Mechelen

SOLD
Published on 22-3-2024
Sold on 30-4-2024
1883 times viewed

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Description

In the historical heart of Mechelen, close to St Rombout's Tower, shops, restaurants, Grote Markt and a Mobiscore of 90: it couldn't be more central. Moreover, since the redevelopment of the ramparts, the neighbourhood is even quieter and more residential. 

This protected monument is listed as part of the 'Kleine en Groote Engel', or, as in the 1777 building application: a 'huys, sijnde twee woningen genaemt den grooten en cleijnen engel'. Today, the building still breathes bits of that rich history.  The current owners restored the building completely according to traditional Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy. Thus, the house received a contemporary upgrade (new: roof, insulation, all technology, utilities, windows, radiators, kitchen and bathroom by Piet Hein Eek), while allowing the traces of the past to be visible. The result: a unique place for original thinkers. 

At the front on the ground floor: beautiful shop front with multifunctional space. Right at the back: spacious kitchen. Nice outside space with new steel profile windows. Hall with toilet and stairs. 

Then several levels: first one large room, now bedroom and large living space in front, then another room, now 2nd bedroom. Finally the stairs up to a separate studio with large open space with bathroom, provisions for an additional kitchen and a mezzanine for office and/or bed. 

Sunny roof terrace with great bath with cold and hot water. 

A uniquely restored historic property with many possibilities - a property you must see to fully experience.
Specifications
  • General
    • Area: 305 m2
    • Ground area: 112 m2
    • Bedrooms: 3
    • Bathrooms: 1
    • Terrace: Yes
    • Year of construction: 1777
    • State: very good state
    • Cadastral income: 1008 euro
  • Energy
    • EPC score: 217 kwh/m2/j
    • EPC class: C
    • Double glazing
    • Heating: individual
    • Heating type: gas (centr. heat.)
  • Extra info
    • Basement
    • Attic
    • Bureau
    • Alarm present
  • Legal info
    • Electrical inspection: yes, conform
    • EPC score: 217 kwh/m2/j
    • Destination site:
    • Real estate inventory: Yes
    • Protected monument: Yes
    • 0-level: not located in flood area
    • P-score: B
    • G-score: B

Assets

Unique style and atmosphere
Lots of space & potential
Location
Live/work

Location

De Groote Engel: unieke restauratie in wabi-sabistijl
The restoration was done very thoroughly and completely but our starting point was always to restore the original value.
The owners

owner speaks out

We bought this house, the largest of 'de Kleyne en de Groote Engel', as a dilapidated monument with the intention of restoring this beautiful historic property and then giving it a place it deserves in bustling Mechelen. It is a great, original residential house, but we also see the property as a business in which commercial or cultural activities can take place. The restoration was done very thoroughly and completely but our starting point was always to restore the original value. In doing so, we obviously worked strictly to all contemporary standards in terms of technology and insulation. We deliberately chose an unfinished look. Core elements, such as the painted stairs, old interior doors, fireplaces, floors and beams in the ceilings, were retained and restored to their original state. This gave this property the original look it has today. For the interior design, we collaborated with the well-known Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek, a partnership that for us really completed the picture.

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