Journal

Welcome to Maddux Creative’s journal – a place to discover more about the studio’s co-founders, Scott Maddux & Jo leGleud.

Maison Autrique: An Art Nouveau Masterpiece

Maison Autrique, one of Victor Horta’s most significant projects and restorations, stands as a true milestone in Brussels' architectural history. Built in 1893, it marks a pivotal moment in Belgian architecture and represents the essence of the Art Nouveau movement.
After undergoing a remarkable renovation, Maison Autrique is now open to the public, offering a deeper appreciation of both the historical and aesthetic value of Brussels’s old houses and the pioneering spirit of Art Nouveau.

Horta designed the house for his friend Eugene Autrique, an engineer at Solvay, who was also an important client. Autrique's demands were simple: “not a single luxury, not a single extravagance: an inhabitable basement-floor, a dignified vestibule and staircase hall, the living and dining room nicely connecting, a first floor with bath and toilet (which wasn't common in those days) and a second floor for children and servants.” (V. Horta, Memoirs, p. 31)

The hallway’s stunning spiral mosaic floor can be considered an Art Nouveau masterpiece, embodying the birth of the movement in all its distinctive style - "the spiral movement stems from a sea conch whilst the banister seems to spring from the leafage like a stem dawn to the light filtering from the two mezzanine windows."

The stained glass windows—featuring motifs like a persimmon tree, irises, and a heron in flight—are symbolic of early Art Nouveau, with its signature references to the natural world - "there is logic to that decoration : the people climbing the stairs let their eyes wander over a meadow in bloom and if they look up they catch sight of a sky dotted with the first stars."

The glamorous bathroom extending from the bedroom was a particular favourite area of ours.

A milestone in Brussels architectural heritage, Maison Autrique's groundbreaking renovation is particularly relevant to a better understanding of the birth of Art Nouveau, and allows everyone to better understand the historical and aesthetic interest of Brussels' old houses.