Garage Wagenstraat

In the heart of The Hague's city center, a 19th-century building graces an intimate square. The ground floor used to host a small business, then became a motorcycle garage for the past decade. Now, it's getting a new lease on life as a short-stay apartment to bring some vibrancy back to the square.

The characteristic barn doors are permanently open towards the square. Coupled with the integration of new windows in both the front and rear facades, the once dimly lit storage area is now bathed in natural light.

The entrance is placed between the barn doors, making it inviting and accessible. The square's paving continues inside, forming a small stage from which the entire apartment can be overlooked.

The interior design takes cues from the loft character of the former workshop space. Four volumes, clad in birch plywood, orchestrate the transition from the living space at the front to the more private realms designated for bathing and sleeping at the rear. It results in an apartment without traditional rooms, where visitors can explore open, semi-sheltered, and more intimate spaces, thereby continually adjusting the relationship between them and the adjacent city.

Location: Wagenstraat 186, The Hague, NL
Type: Short stay apartment
Status: Completed
Client: Private
Year: 2023
Contractor: E. Sakkee, Den Haag
Interior builder: Oakenzo, Wateringen
Photography: MWA Hart Nibbrig