Palais Stoclet (Brussels, Belgium): 1911

Palais Stoclet (Brussels, Belgium): 1911 

The Stoclet Palace is a mansion in Brussels, Belgium. This area is considered one of the most elegant and green residential communes in the whole country. It was built more than 100 years ago. The estate has an impressive 8,600 square meters. Also, the two facades are about 10 meters high with a 20-meter stairwell tower. It resembles the towers of the Belgian city halls. The palace was built by architect Josef Hoffman. Josef Hoffman was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods who co-established Wiener Werkstätte. The palace was built for banker and art lover Adolphe Stoclet between 1905 and 1911. Adolphe Stoclet was a Belgian engineer and financer. He is most famous for commissioning the palace. The Stoclet's house is one of the most luxurious private houses of the twentieth century. It also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 which means the home and interior remains protected. 

The designs for the Stoclet palace, came from fashion and to the Viennese identity for the interior. Hoffman abandoned styles from the past and produced a building that is asymmetrical compilation of rectangular blocks, exaggerated lines and corners. Fashion was so important for them that they designed a dress for Madame Stoclet, just so she wouldn’t clash with her living room décor. 

Josef Hoffman and his colleagues designed every aspect of the mansion. The interior is as strict as the exterior, with geometric furniture and minimal clutter. This was a modern approach, presenting a reformed interior where function showed form.  The ground plan had to be consistent with Stoclet's convenience and refined outlook. The interior of the building is decorated with marble paneling, artworks and sculptures. The sculptures turned green due to oxidization. The integration of architects, artists makes Stoclet Palace an example of a Gesamtkunstwerk which means total work of art/ universal artwork. 

The building shell was completed to the first floor in 1906. The next intensive building phase took place in 1908 and then the installation of the marble slabs on the façade in 1909. Even though the furnishings were not complete, the family still moved into the palace in 1911. 

The building was designed to appear from the road as a stately city mansion. Its rear façade sculpturally modelled by bay windows, balconies and terraces, which gave the Stoclet family a comfortable urban mansion and a country house at the same time. 

The palace started to become a burden for the family. They used to call the palace an enchanted house, but it caused a lot of conflict for them. Adolphe Stoclet died in 1949 and the house was inherited by his daughter in law Annie Stoclet. After her death in 2002, the house was inherited by her four daughters. The four granddaughters of Adolphe Stoclet wanted to sell of their heritage. In 2011, the court decided to preserve the villa as a piece of art, as it was intended to be. The house remained closed to the public, even though many tried to pursue the heirs to unlock the door.  

The house has not undergone any major change recently. There have been minor alterations, like maintenance work that has been carried out to preserve its integrity. 

 

Sources 

Gono, Paulina. “The Stoclet Palace: A Locked Beauty In Brussels, Belgium.” Culture Trip, 2 Feb. 2016, theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-stoclet-palace-a-locked-beauty-in-brussels/. 

Architectmagazine.com, www.architectmagazine.com/design/the-palais-stoclet-seduces_o. 

“Stoclet Palace.” Neue Luxury, www.neueluxury.com/issues/issue-4/stoclet-palace/.

"Stoclet Palace or Stocletpaleis (1905-1911), Designed by Josef Hoffmann, Brussels, Belgium Detail." Bridgeman Images: Deagostini Library, 2014.