Victor Horta's Tassel House: A Deep Dive into Art Nouveau

General Documentation

• Name: Tassel House
• Author: Victor Horta
• Date: 1892 - 1893
• Style: Art Nouveau
• Location: Brussels
• Material: Stone, iron, glass, ceramic, and wood
• Construction System: Industrial materials

Formal Analysis

We are in a formal analysis of the Tassel House floor plan, which is narrow, elongated, and almost rectangular, consisting of three floors. The distribution of the floors is determined by the staircase that starts in the lobby and the rooms that are placed on either side of a corridor. The support elements are fine iron columns that allow for the bypass of load-bearing walls. These columns are decorated in the capital with great imagination and creativity. As for the supported elements, apart from the roof, of note are the iron beams of the ceiling that remain in view and also decorate the set.

The facade, on a human scale, is close and simple. In the center stands a portion of glass that gives sinuosity. On the first floor, windows are separated by stone columns and columns with an unusual metal grille. On the third floor, there is a terrace. It is especially important to treat the balconies and the importance given to the glass. As for the interior, elements are inspired motifs. All items are decorated, from the columns to the door handles, and it seems that everything has an ornamental function.

This work belongs to Victor Horta's Art Nouveau, an architectural style that emerged in the late nineteenth century, which will be the first universal style. It is a style inspired by organic forms and adapted to the needs of urban functionality. It achieves the unification of craft and industry through the use of varied materials and elaborate decoration. Construction is also varied with facades of brick, large glass windows, wrought iron columns, and other items. The decor is crucial to have a more symbolic value. Noteworthy is the use of brittle ceramic or glass and wrought iron floral forms, geometric or figurative.

Interpretation

The Tassel House is a private and civil building. The floral decoration allows owners to escape the geometric space marked by industrialization, integrated with plant forms in nature. The Tassel House was commissioned by the Lord, and their role is simply to reflect the owner's taste in addition to being a living space for a family.