Many of the world's most magnificent architectural wonders happen to be places of worship. Examples include the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica, Istanbul's Hagia Sophia and Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. With desirable characteristics such as high ceilings and tall windows already in place, it's no wonder that people want to convert these spaces into chic, private homes. And the St. Jakobus Church in Utrecht, Holland is no exception.
Its transition into a residence was designed by Zecc Architects for their client Woonkerk XL in 2009. The sleek, modern feel of the home's interiors is typical of Bauhaus-influenced design. And according to Vlamboyant, these ultra-modern church transformations are the firm's specialty since they worked on a similar conversion to a chapel in the same city.
It turns out that their work is happening at the right time. We learned from Home DSGN that there are "hundreds of empty churches" in the Netherlands -- a growing portion of which are being demolished. We hope that companies like Zecc take on more of these projects and can preserve some of the original integrity and the historical details of the buildings.
If this piqued your interest in churches that have been converted into homes, you'll want to check out a similar story in Denver. But before you do, click through our photos of the Dutch church-turned-residence.
Dutch Church XL Converted Into Home
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