Victor Horta applies his rich, elegant style…

Victor Horta applies his rich, elegant style to the Hôtel Solvay at 224 Avenue Louise (1895-1900), notable for the plastic treatment of its façade.

The large Art Nouveau town house had been commissioned by Armand Solvay, the son of the wealthy Belgian chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay.

Designing every single detail—furniture, carpets, light fittings, tableware and even the doorbell—Horta uses expensive materials such as marble, onyx, bronze, tropical woods, etc.

For the decoration of the staircase, Horta cooperates with the Belgian pointillist painter Théo van Rysselberghe.

After this project, he simplifies his style, using decoration more sparingly and eliminating exposed iron.