Hôtel Tassel

Lore & Background

The Hôtel Tassel was the second town house built by Victor Horta, following the Autrique House. While the Autrique House had an innovative decorative scheme without historical references, its floor plan remained traditional, with a gloomy dining room in the middle. At the Hôtel Tassel, Horta broke definitively with this scheme by building a house consisting of three parts: two conventional buildings in brick and natural stone—one on the street side and one on the garden side—linked by a steel structure covered with glass. This central part functioned as a connective space containing staircases and landings, and through its glass roof brought natural light into the centre of the building. Horta designed every detail of this area, including door handles, woodwork, stained glass panels, mosaic flooring, and furnishings, integrating lavish decoration without masking the general architectural structures.

Reader's Guide

The Hôtel Tassel is significant as one of the earliest examples of Art Nouveau architecture, alongside the Hankar House. Its innovations—particularly the open plan, the use of a steel-and-glass central hall to diffuse light, and the integration of organic decoration with structure—marked the style and approach for most of Horta's later town houses, including the Hôtel van Eetvelde, the Hôtel Solvay, and his own house and workshop. These houses were expensive and affordable only by the haute-bourgeoisie, so the pure architectural innovations were not widely followed by other architects; most other Art Nouveau dwellings were inspired by Horta's whiplash decorative style applied to more traditional buildings. The Hôtel Tassel had a decisive influence on the French Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard. In 2000, UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list as part of the 'Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta', recognizing its open plan, diffusion of light, and brilliant joining of curved decoration with structure. As of 2017, the Hôtel Tassel was a private office.

Did You Know?

• The Hôtel Tassel is considered one of the first Art Nouveau buildings, along with the Hankar House by Paul Hankar, built at the same time.
• The house consists of two conventional buildings linked by a steel structure covered with glass, which functions as a light shaft.
• Victor Horta designed every single detail of the central part, including door handles, woodwork, stained glass panels, mosaic flooring, and furnishings.
• The Hôtel Tassel had a decisive influence on the French Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard.