The Hôtel van Eetvelde is a historic Art Nouveau townhouse in Brussels, designed by Victor Horta for Edmond van Eetvelde, administrator of the Congo Free State. Built between 1895 and 1898, it was later expanded by Horta.
The Hôtel van Eetvelde stood out for its innovative use of industrial materials like steel and glass, which was unusual for prestigious private homes at the time. Horta also introduced a suspended steel structure for the building's façade.
Van Eetvelde’s former office has preserved its original African mahogany furniture, making it one of the best-preserved interiors designed by Horta. The fireplace conceals an ingenious heating system, with a refined combination of pink marble, gilded bronze, and wood.
Van Eetvelde’s former office
Van Eetvelde’s former office
fireplace
The interior of the Hôtel van Eetvelde centers around an octagonal rotunda topped by a skylight, reconstructed in 1988 following Horta’s original design. Blending rest and movement spaces, Horta created a small living room or winter garden encircled by a circulation area linking the main rooms. The stained glass dome, supported by eight slender steel columns, features a vegetal theme.
rotunda
stained glass cupola
rotunda and winter garden
The living room is flooded with natural light through its large windows. It features green onyx paneling enhanced with gilded bronze inlays. The ceiling is divided into plastered vaults, each painted with a repeating motif.
living room
living room
The dining room opens through a large double door made of mahogany, decorated with American stained glass depicting stylized trees. It still retains its embossed tapestry in ochre, green, and brown tones, featuring stylized plants and animals. The buffet was specially created by Horta for the house and exhibited at the 1897 Salon de la Libre Esthétique in Brussels.
billiard room
dining room
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