House of Worship: Old Stone Church Hide Brand New Home

Quaint, cute, and unassuming the outside of this old house of worship shows its age in weathered wear. Seeking to preserve this piece of history, however, its owners chose to transform the interior, creating a contemporary home within classic walls.


Like other cool church conversions from Zecc (photos by Frank Hanswijk), this small-church renovation in Utrecht features a series of levels within the existing large space.



While the mezzanine may look intrusive, it actually represents a partial reversion from the building’s last design iteration, and (as the plans above show) is less complete than it might appear from looking at the pictures.


For a time after church services stopped (some decades ago, now), it served as a two-story showroom for antique furniture. By pealing back part of this second level, more openness was again achieved.


Beneath the open upper floor lie the privacy-oriented spaces of the residence, including bathrooms, bedrooms and a personal study that are tucked away and internally-divided. None of these newly-created rooms, however, would be difficult to remove should anyone seek to fully restore the space at some point.


Vaulted ceilings and old surfaces were repainted white, wooden pews and hardwood floors were preserved, and most new elements are easily marked as having been recently introduced. Where possible, original doors and stained glass were preserved, and other decorative elements were saved as well.