Stop and Stare at 2014's Most Genius Converted Spaces

Another year, another fresh trove of proof that everything old can be new again. In 2014, architects and interior designers around the world overhauled a great many derelict structures with aplomb. To little surprise, farmhouses, schools, and churches were popular targets. This list of superstar conversions covers a wide range though—from the jaw-dropping overhaul of a rundown Detroit bank to the sensual revamp of a French monastery from the Middle Ages, prepare to start observing the built environment with fresh eyes.

↑ Great Falls, MT—
Then: Grain bin used in agriculture
Now: Cool, pastoral home for a retired art teacher
Crucial detail: Keeping the original bin largely intact, Montana-based architect Nick Pancheau simply inserted 900-square-foot one-bedroom living space in the form of insulated box, elevated over the ground level that now serves as an art studio. [link]

↑ Detroit, MI—
Then: Rundown bank
Now: Hip loft home that mixes mod furniture with original cement walls of its grittier past
Crucial detail: The enterprising folks who took on this project boosted the building's livable space from 2,200 square feet to 3,000 square feet with the addition of a loft. [link]

↑ Antwerp, Belgium—
Then: Military hospital chapel
Now: The Jane, a ritzy "rock 'n roll"-themed restaurant
Crucial detail: Dutch designer Piet Boon insisted on retaining vintage features of the structure, such as the original domed ceilings, peeling paint, and patterned floors, while adding some splashy new highlights like a massive starburst chandelier by Beirut-based design studio .PSLAB. [link]

↑ London—
Then: A church that dates back to 1890
Now: A swanky home with a "cozy cocktail lounge" feel
Crucial detail: When interior designer Gianna Camilotti purchased the building for herself in 2013, it had already been converted into a residence but was essentially a blank canvas. In January 2014, she began transforming it into her dream work/live/play space, which involved introducing tons of oversized furniture, including a custom-made sofa that can fit up to 18 people. [link]

↑ Detroit, MI—
Then: Warehouse for the Hudson's department store chain
Now: New office for Detroit-based ad agency Lowe Campbell Ewald
Crucial detail: Designed by local firm Neumann/Smith Architecture, the $15M conversion embraces the unfinished aesthetic, keeping new infrastructural elements like ductwork and wiring exposed. The building features 500 doors salvaged from local buildings and a four-story LED screen in the atrium. [link]

↑ Fontevraud Abbey, France—
Then: A monastery that dates back to the Middle Ages
Now: Fontevraud L'Hôtel and Fontevraud Le Restaurant
Crucial detail: French studio Agence Jouin Manku's renovation left the original structure of the ancient complex completely unaltered, adding just furnishings in a seductive palette of pale woods,metal and fabric in subdued hues. The updated venue opened in May, and so far appears to be well-received. [link]

↑ Hamburg, Germany—
Then: World War II bunker
Now: A public memorial, center for renewable energy, and cafe
Crucial detail: The building, revamped by local studio IBA Hamburg, has solar panels along the roof, a very industrial new cafe in the former location of an aircraft turret, and generates heat and power for the neighborhood from mostly renewable resources. [link]

↑ Johannesburg, South Africa—
Then: Shipping containers and a row of defunct grain silos
Now: Student housing
Crucial detail: Construction on the project by South African developer Citiq completed in January, and nearly a third of the 370 available units filled up midway through the first week. The apartments come with punched-out windows and balconies. [link]

↑ Paris—
Then: Charcuterie
Now: Private home for a motorbike enthusiast
Crucial detail: For his motorbike-loving client, French architect Paul Coudamy turned the doorway of the former shop into a garage for the vehicle, meanwhile adding a striking spiralling oak staircase and transformable bookcase to the more exposed first floor that's now a library/sitting room. [link]

↑ San Francisco, CA—
Then: Laundromat boiler room
Now: Tiny guesthouse
Crucial detail: Local architect Christi Azevedo turned the 93-square-foot former boiler room into a full-service loft, inserting a staircase and mezzanine to connect the ground level kitchen and living areas with the upper-level Queen bed and tiny bathroom. [link]

↑ Madrid, Spain—
Then: 1950s cinema
Now: Platea, a gourmet food hall
Crucial detail: Opened to the public this summer, Platea now covers the 6,000-square-foot former theater with food shops, bars, and restaurants, including Arriba, helmed by Ramón Freixa, a chef with two Michelin stars. Interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán maintained the building's midcentury feel and architectural bones (note the oxblood stage curtain in the former screen area). [link]

· All Conversions posts [Curbed National]
· All Year in Review 2014 posts [Curbed National]