Nouvelle Vague (studio indezee): a writer's den overlooking the North Sea

Description

How about this for a cozy and elegant writer's den - right up there on the 9th floor, overlooking the North Sea. We have truly loved working here ourselves - in fact ever since we moved to Singapore, this has been our European office space of choice, and we cannot tell how many articles have been in the making at the now legendary white painted table which is the centerpiece of "the studio in the sea." We are Francis and Michaela, both with a background in linguistics, anthropology and Asian Studies (languages, cultures). We have lived and worked in the Middle East, in the Arabian Gulf, in India, and now in Singapore. With Bayt al-Andalus, we are listing our own house on Sabbaticalhomes: #158748 and #158775. The current listing, we are curating on behalf of Michaela's mother, Evelyn. Evelyn became a widow early in her motherhood. For her entire career, she has worked as a PhD coordinator at the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences). She is now a retired mother of two (one of whom is Michaela), and a grandmother of four. Nouvelle Vague (also called "the studio in the sea"), has been the family's weekend and holiday destination since the girls were very young. In fact, most of Michaela's youth memories have Oostende as a location. With this, the Oostende studio has remained in the family for nearly 40 years. It has, in fact, never before been given up for rent. So this is an emotional moment - mostly for Evelyn, who is now taking the bold step of gradually letting go. We are on the beach, opposite the Royal Hippodrome, and next to the Venetian galleries, the Royal Villa, and Shin Kai Tei, a unique Japanese garden commissioned by Ostend City and designed by architect Takashi Sawano. We are opposite a tram stop, connecting directly to Oostende Railway Station and from there to Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, and Louvain. For those coming with a car, we have an underground parking spot, which is for rent separately. The studio is on the ninth (the one but highest) floor, with a wall-to-wall sliding window giving way to a balcony and hence, an uninterrupted view over the North Sea, with the Channel sea traffic and the windmills of the Thornton Bank on the horizon. The main room has a queen size collapsible bed and an additional sofa, a sizeable seating corner, a work-and-dining table, two comfy seats, cable TV, and plenty of storage space. Eating and working are done in full sea view, with only the occasional seagull looking in. Next, we have a kitchenette with induction plates and an oven, a bathroom with sink and small bath tub, and a seperate toilet. The whole studio is covered with our Pearl of The Ocean wifi network. If you like the place even half as much as we as a family have been liking it all these years, you will feel like Neptune overlooking your own private ocean. Here is your ideal writer's den, your place for a retreat away from it all. You will feel quiet and private and secured, while still being connected to the city (10 minutes walk) and the world. Oostende Beach is a marvel for endless walks, bedded in between the sand dunes of Mariakerke's royal domain with Atlantic Wall remnants, and the protected nature zone stretching all the way to De Haan with its signature arts-and-crafts coziness. Whether you prefer the Summer sunshine or the Winter storms, our Oostende studio is your thing.