Robert D'Awans sets himself a monumental task: to resurrect, on paper, the lavish interior of the Hôtel de Pitsembourg. This wasn't just any house; it was a spectacular palace in Mechelen, a symbol of wealth and power that was completely torn down. With no building to study, D'Awans becomes a literary archaeologist. His tools aren't shovels, but archives.

The Story

The book doesn't have a traditional plot with characters acting out scenes. Instead, the narrative is D'Awans's own process of discovery. He pieces together the palace's soul room by room. We follow him from the grand hall, with its specific type of Spanish leather wall covering, to the private chambers furnished with exotic woods from the Indies. He finds bills from artisans, notes on fabric deliveries, and legal documents that mention a disputed bed. Each clue adds a brushstroke to the picture. The "story" is the gradual, almost magical, appearance of a complete, furnished home from a pile of forgotten paperwork. You watch a ghost building get filled with ghosts of furniture, and by the end, it feels startlingly real.

Why You Should Read It

This book taught me that objects are stories. A detailed invoice for a set of chairs tells you about trade routes, craftsmanship, and what comfort meant in 1650. A list of paintings reveals what a powerful family wanted to look at every day—their taste, their religion, their ambitions. D'Awans's writing isn't dry; you can feel his excitement when he cracks a code or finds a missing link. It makes you look around your own living room and wonder, ‘What would these things say about me 400 years from now?’ It's a quiet, thoughtful exploration of how we build our identities through our surroundings.

Final Verdict

This is a niche book, but a brilliant one. It's perfect for history buffs who love deep dives into material culture, or for mystery lovers who appreciate a puzzle solved with documents instead of fingerprints. If you enjoyed the slow-burn investigation in a book like The Professor and the Madman, you'll find a similar satisfaction here. It's not a fast read, but a profoundly rewarding one. You'll finish it seeing the history hidden in every sofa and side table.