The elegant August Bar is located in the convent’s former chapel
Mouche Van Hool has a weakness for old, abandoned buildings with a lot of history. So, on a visit to a former convent in Antwerp’s Green Quarter, she says she dreamed of what it would be like if it had been restored to its former glory. “I was impressed by the large gardens and the tranquillity that it radiated. We found the location atypical, which convinced us to buy it,” says Van Hool about the abbey that was hidden in a corner behind stodgy walls and had been empty for more than 20 years.
Instead of reimagining its future, she gave the cloister a new life by turning it into August, a 44-room hotel that flaunts the same restraint, albeit in a more modern, elegant fashion. For Van Hool, who in 2004 converted two 16th-century structures in the center of the city to open Hotel Julien—one of Antwerp’s first boutique properties—this endeavor was natural.
Working with Ghent-based Callebaut Architecten, Antwerp architect and interior designer Vincent Van Duysen drew on his vast residential experience to preserve the essence of the neoclassical site and seamlessly integrate its five different buildings and gardens, making August a true destination for the community.
At the entrance, a black steel structure “forms a stark contrast to the red-brick façade. This is an allusion to the glass roofs that once covered the terraces of the hospital pavilions,” Van Duysen says. Guestrooms, most of them previously the nuns’ living quarters, all feature different layouts. Fittingly sparse, they are simply furnished to accent ceiling beams, handwoven carpets, custom lighting, and hand-glazed tiles in the bathroom.
The atmospheric bar is located in the space where the convent’s chapel once stood and stands out with a crisp black and white palette. Inside, refurbished tiles, arched windows, and low-slung bespoke furniture designed by Van Duysen all combine to create a new sense of history. “This place has its own soul. There’s a lot of emotion,” she says. “It’s all about calming down and creating silence, being in a space that doesn’t overstimulate the senses.”
The reception’s crisp color palette contrasts the building’s red brick façade
The dome ceiling in August Bar has been painted jet black to provide contrast
The patterned tile floor in the bar has been preserved
Anchored by a fireplace, a lounge area in August is brought to life with vivid artwork and bespoke furnishings
A cozy seating nook in the Experience Plus room
