Hôtel Solvay, Brussels, Belgium

The Hôtel Solvay is a large Art Nouveau town house designed by Victor Horta on the Avenue Louise in Brussels. The house was commissioned by Armand Solvay, the son of the wealthy Belgian chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay. For this wealthy patron Horta could spend a fortune on precious materials and expensive details. Horta designed every single detail; furniture, carpets, light fittings, tableware and even the door bell. He used expensive materials such as marble, onyx, bronze, tropic woods etc. For the decoration of the staircase Horta cooperated with the Belgian pointillist painter Théo van Rysselberghe. The Hôtel Solvay and most of its splendid content remained intact thanks to the Wittamer family. They acquired the house in the 1950s and did the utmost to preserve and restore this magnificent dwelling. The house is still private property and can only be visited by appointment and under very strict conditions. The edifice is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The UNESCO commission recognized the Hôtel Solvay as UNESCO World Heritage in 2000 as one of the Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta.

References:

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User Reviews

Jean vR (3 years ago)
Beautiful house with amazing interiors designed by Horta. This house was asked by the Solvay family to Horta with no budget limit, and it shows. Structure and pleasure mix together in perfect shapes and natural feeling environments.

Nick von Behr (3 years ago)
Only saw the outside as it was closed to visitors but a standout Art Nouveau building by Victor Horta, father of the architectural genre.

Glenn Fiddich (3 years ago)
unique and brilliant for the ones who love architecture.

Fedor Hopkins (3 years ago)
Nice hotel, prices are reasonable, staff are friendly, clean, beautiful. Exterior pleased

Lotta W (3 years ago)
An architectural gem ✨ I hope even more of the rooms will be restored in the future. Those that are, are marvelous. Since visitors are limited, you get really pretty views of the interior.

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