Tried & Tested: August Antwerp
Last week I got a little tour at a hotel that has been on my hotel bucket list ever since it opened its doors last April. Antwerp lovers and fans of design hotels will probably already know what I’m talking about, but if you’ve never heard of August before: just. keep. on. reading. The place ticks off the three main things I look for in a hotel: gorgeous design, personal service and an impeccable eye for detail. But there’s so much more to this amazing place!
quick fix: 3 reasons to stay at august antwerp
1/ If you’re a fan of design hotels that are seamlessly integrated into historic buildings.
2/ If you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Antwerp where ‘eye for detail’ might even be an understatement.
3/ If you equally love good food and great design and want to see these two come together in a state of the art hotel.
Hallelujah!
August is located in a former Augustinian convent in ‘t Groen Kwartier (the Green Quarter) in Antwerp. This area was once the site of a large 19th-century military hospital complex that used to belong to the Belgian army. The Augustinian sisters who worked at the military hospital lived in the cloister that houses August today. Since they were not allowed to pray in the same chapel as the soldiers, they had their own chapel which is now used as August’s signature hotel bar. The remaining sisters now live in a building nearby and the hotel’s meeting rooms are named after them. The oldest sister is currently 97 years old but they still regularly pop in at August for coffee. How cute is that!
Mouche van hool
If you know something about the Antwerp hotel scene, the name Mouche Van Hool might ring a bell. She is the entrepreneur behind Hotel Julien, a stylish boutique hotel in the Antwerp city center. When Hotel Julien started to burst at the seams in 2014, a friend called Mouche about this former cloister in the Green Quarter that was being sold as a hotel project. She and her husband immediately saw the potential of the site as the cloister was located in a vibrant area with lots of shops and restaurants, close to the stunning Art Nouveau and fin de siècle-style mansions of the Zurenborg District.
vincent van duysen
After Mouche Van Hool bought the convent with the idea of turning it into a hotel, she joined forces with Vincent Van Duysen, a leading figure in the Antwerp design scene and the architect behind Graanmarkt 13 and many other projects worldwide. Van Duysen’s style is characterized by subtle transitions between architecture, interior and product design and his respect for context and tradition. Time and again he succeeds in integrating functionality, durability and comfort into a clear and timeless design. Since August is a monumental building, the renovation had to be done very carefully. As much original details as possible were retained - among which the floor tiles, round stained glass window in the chapel and old wooden staircase. What needed to be restored was done with utmost respect for the history of the buildings. For example: the original colored glass windows on the sides of the chapel were replaced with transparant ones, hand-blown in Belgium.
Art & design
As Vincent Van Duysen has been involved in all aspects of August, he designed almost everything you see in the hotel. Therefore, he collaborated with creme de la creme design brands, like Flos for lighting, Serax for tableware and Molteni for furniture. To give you an example: the lamps he designed together with Flos are inspired by the bell jars that used to be placed over Maria statues. They’re hung upside down in the hotel corridors and enhance the unique atmosphere of the convent turned hotel. Next to the bespoke design collaborations of Vincent Van Duysen, there’s another man that has left his mark on the hotel: British artist Peter Seal. You can find his work throughout the hotel, with the painting above the sofa in the hotel library as one of his best-known eye-catchers.
the rooms
The former convent encapsulates 44 rooms, ranging from the smaller Intimate and Authentic rooms to the Experience rooms located under the roof and the huge 40 square meter suites. No room is the same, which emphasizes the unique characteristics of the cloister. From the tailor-made furniture to the hand glazed bathroom tiles, everything radiates the warmth and dedication that has gone into making this place into a modern-day sanctuary. Another little detail that’s definitely worth mentioning: the bathroom amenities are by Bamford, a label originating from the Cotswolds and known for its high quality products that are all natural and artisanal. The Bamford products are used in the August Spa too (which is open to non-hotel guests and has a natural swimming pool) and are for sale in the August Shop, right across the hotel. There you can also buy the hotel’s signature scent, a mix of pink pepper and cardamom created to mimic the cloister atmosphere in a subtle and stylish way.
food options galore
Foodies are also catered for at August with an in-house restaurant curated by Nick Bril together with his former sous-chef Pieter Starmans. Next to this culinary gem ‘t Groen Kwartier houses fine dining restaurant The Jane, awarded with two Michelin stars, and its slightly more casual but still fancy Upper Room Bar. In August’s own restaurant the menu focuses on product, season and terroir, with dishes that are accessible yet creative. Fresh, local and without fuss are the keywords! Some of the ingredients used in the hotel kitchen are grown on the roof of PAKT, the repurposed industrial site next-door which houses a melting pot of creative businesses and an ambitious rooftop city farming project. The August Bar serves a selection of natural wines, smart spirits, classis cocktails and savory bar bites. A must whether you’re staying at the hotel or not.
August - Jules Bordetstraat 5, Antwerp - rooms starting at €135 per night - www.august-antwerp.com