Astrid had long dreamed of living in a former store. She realized it in Diez and meticulously converted a former store into an industrial design home for herself and her family.

The idea of living in an old store came to Astrid in London, where she worked for a while. Her workplace was in a former store and she loved the atmosphere there. She therefore decided to look specifically for an old store in Germany.

In 2020, she and her partner found what they were looking for in Diez an der Lahn: A 300-year-old house that had been converted into a store a hundred years ago. It was once a jeweler, later an electronics store, a car repair shop and finally an Italian travel agency. Astrid and her partner have now turned the building back into a home. It took a lot of work: together with her family, they tore down an extension from the 1960s, uncovered ceilings and ripped wallpaper from the walls.

It was important to the couple that the building had a modern, open loft style, but that the history of the building remained tangible at the same time. That's why they left some walls unplastered, exposed steel beams and restored the old shop window to how it looked 50 years ago.

Astrid had very specific ideas for her dream house. After all, the software developer once studied communication design and therefore has an eye for aesthetics. She planned everything meticulously in advance and tinkered around for a long time to ensure that the conversion went perfectly. A self-built cardboard model of the house helped her to get a good idea of the rooms in relation to each other.

To find the right colors for her house, she created mood boards and made sure that each room was painted to match its use: For example, the kitchen in the color green so that it looks like an extension of the garden into the interior. Or the living room in red to create a cozy, warm "cave feeling" together with the fireplace. To avoid making any mistakes in the kitchen design and to get a better feel for the proportions, Astrid simulated the planned kitchen in the finished room using cardboard boxes.

The topic of sustainability is very close to Astrid's heart. She made sure to work with natural materials such as clay, lime, reed and straw. Finding suitable craftsmen for these old building methods was not easy, but Astrid searched until she found what she was looking for. It was important to her, especially after her experience with the costly demolition, that the house could be dismantled as easily as possible at some point. Many of the pieces of furniture in the house are second-hand, from flea markets or antique stores. And Astrid even built some of it herself - such as outdoor furniture made from metal trestles and wash tub lids.

The house is heated by underfloor heating on the first floor and by the fireplace and wall heating on the upper floor. These are particularly effective due to their fast heat-up time and low heat loss.

The conversion of the house took a total of 1.5 years. The couple repeatedly reached their limits: Be it for financial reasons or because it was difficult to find tradesmen. At times, they even considered giving up. But thanks to the support of their friends and family, who repeatedly provided ideas and lent a hand, they were able to realize their dream.

Although there is still some minor work to be done on the old store, Astrid is certain that the decision to buy the house was exactly the right one. She particularly appreciates the fact that the historical charm can be seen in every corner and she wants her house to show that it doesn't always have to be a white concrete cube built on former farmland.

A film by Jörn Michaely (editor), Baharak Bayat (camera), Paul Heydecke (camera / sound), Monika Kostrzewa (editor).

00:00 100-year-old store converted into a home
00:27 Kitchen and dining area
03:32 Terrace
04:54 Garden
06:07 Workplace
09:17 Guest room
09:55 Living area
10:52 Bathroom
11:39 Sleeping area