A hairdresser, florist, marketing agency and co-working spaces set up shop in a renovated old mansion in Glin

“When I bought the property in 2019, which includes a mansion, the caretaker’s house and an annex – now connected by a new glass building of 100 square meters, and which are part of 13 Glin houses and castles – almost everything was in. ruins apart from the main building”explains Xavier Mouton, florist and interior designer. “Almost everything has been redone. We worked with noble materials as natural as possible, such as wood, to bring the spaces to life while preserving their soul.”

The building was listed by the Walloon Department, there was no question of doing anything. “We couldn’t change the building and change its view from the street, so we had to rely on the Walloon Region and the city of Mons to find out what we could or couldn’t do. we can do it. Today, we are happy to be able to (re)discover the spaces to the public.” It took two and a half years of final renovation work for “Villa Léopold” to be what it is today.

“Six months ago, we didn’t know each other but we got on so well that we wanted to start and lead a project together: bringing the place to life by putting ‘humanity at its heart’ everything’added Adam Nahim. ,Often, stores located in the same place do their own thing. Here, we really want there to be exchanges, so that people talk to each other, to get to know each other. You can stop by the florist, go to the hairdresser, greet the comms staff, all without leaving the building.”

In short, warmth is the key word. “We hope people will feel good here and leave their worries at the door. “ Villa Léopold will open its co-working space soon. “We know how complicated it is to be independent and start up. We offer a total of eight offices for rent, in a very chic location… Which could also make a difference when proof is needed. We know how important appearance can be in our society.”following Adam Nahime.

An independent hairdresser for seven years, Dylan Dobchies, for his part, took the fall. “I was based in Colfontaine before I got here. It was a risk but I’m very happy that my customers took it and my customers followed me. Corridor.” It should be noted that the interior decoration is also, to some extent, for sale.