Brussels

Inside Art nouveau

The Wolfers store and workshops

Rue d'Arenberg 11, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Façade (old photo) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Façade (old photo) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Rue d'Arenberg, photograph taken during construction (photo ca 1911-1913) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Rue d'Arenberg, photograph taken during construction (photo ca 1911-1913) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Grand staircase, first floor gallery (old photograph) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Grand staircase, first floor gallery (old photograph) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Stairwell and ground floor (photo 2008) ©urban.brussels. All rights reserved.

Stairwell and ground floor (photo 2008) ©urban.brussels. All rights reserved.

Central mahogany window (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Central mahogany window (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Mahogany window handle, first floor (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Mahogany window handle, first floor (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Chair, small office, ground floor (photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Chair, small office, ground floor (photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Façade (old photo) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Façade (old photo) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Rue d'Arenberg, photograph taken during construction (photo ca 1911-1913) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Rue d'Arenberg, photograph taken during construction (photo ca 1911-1913) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Grand staircase, first floor gallery (old photograph) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Grand staircase, first floor gallery (old photograph) ©Archives du Musée Horta, Saint-Gilles. All rights reserved.

Stairwell and ground floor (photo 2008) ©urban.brussels. All rights reserved.

Stairwell and ground floor (photo 2008) ©urban.brussels. All rights reserved.

Central mahogany window (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Central mahogany window (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Mahogany window handle, first floor (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Mahogany window handle, first floor (1909, photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Chair, small office, ground floor (photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

Chair, small office, ground floor (photo 1971) ©KIK-IRPA, Bruxelles. All rights reserved.

The Wolfers store and workshops

Victor Horta worked with goldsmith Philippe Wolfers and designed his store, which was located in the rue d’Arenberg, then a chic shopping area, in the shadow of the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula.

EXTERIOR

The design of the façade is not very expressive, but one has to admire the elegant precision of its lines, from the undulating cornice above the first floor to the impressive, enormous columns on the fourth floor. The entire ground floor, where the silverware and jewellery were displayed in the shop window, is made of pure black granite especially imported from Sweden.

INTERIORS

Horta had to take the requirements of Wolfers and his artisans into account. They needed two interior areas crowned with skylights to provide the workshops with sufficient light.

Unfortunately, the store’s furniture is no longer present (it is kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History, to which it was given by the Wolfers family).  However, as you enter, you can still see the beautiful staircase that led to elegant showrooms reserved for wealthy customers. You can likewise still see the stained glass windows, the Carrera marble staircases and their gilded railings. The walls of the showroom on the first floor are entirely covered in Lyon silk.

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