Hidden behind large hedges, can you imagine the stories Villa Gosset could tell? This remarkable villa was designed by Adrien Blomme in 1928 for Félicien Gosset. Félicien was the heir to Tabacs Gosset. The villa included a vast concierge house and stables.
Villa Gosset’s main house is built around a vast staircase. A large window and a colored glass skylight illuminate it. All reception rooms communicate with each other via sliding doors. This made it a house perfect for large parties.
The Gosset family lived here until the end of the 1980s. At that time, Art Deco-modernist architecture wasn’t very popular anymore. The building fell into oblivion. It was abandoned and vandalized. It was even looted.
In 1993, the Royal Commission of Monuments and Sites began a classification procedure. Villa Gosset was sold and sold again. The last owners restored it. They followed Adrien Blomme’s precepts. This gave it back its former glory.
The whole property is protected. This includes the house, concierge house, garden, and entrance gates. They have been classified since March 1994.
The concierge house includes a garage and stables. It has a U-shaped layout on the street side. It consists of a rectangular volume of two stories and three bays under a flat roof. Two lateral extensions of one story are also under a flat roof. The facades are rough plastered on a hard stone plinth. Lateral extensions are punctuated by lesenes. There are horizontal rectangular windows between them.
The villa is centrally located on the plot. It is a square and symmetrically constructed volume. It has two stories on a basement under a flat roof. The rear facade faces northwest. It has a protruding volume of three floors. The facades are rough plastered on a blue hard stone plinth.
The symmetrical main facade faces southeast. It is preceded by a round platform. This has a central semi-circular extension with three large glass doors. It is crowned by a terrace. Two large arched windows flank it. These have iron bars with a typical Art Deco motif. On the second floor are rectangular windows with hard stone sills.
The left side facade also has a platform. There is a central portico on four pillars. It supports the terrace. An openwork door features geometric ironwork and stepped embrasures. The second floor has a central glass door. It is in stepped framing crowned by a narrow trapezoidal awning. An overhanging cornice sits above a frieze of glyphs.
The interior layout is organized around a central patio-shaped hall. It has a square fountain. Light comes from a colored glass roof. The colors are turquoise, light green, and white. Interior finishes include marble and various exotic woods.
The garden was also designed by Adrien Blomme. It is considered an integral part of the villa. The connection between the garden and the southeast facade is marked by an imaginary central axis. A paved walkway is centrally interrupted by a cross-shaped pool. The planting includes round and cone-shaped yews. There are also straight-cut hedges and flowerbeds.
In the park, you can find a clubhouse or tennis pavilion. It is in the form of a wooden chalet with rubble stone elements. It was designed by architect J. Ghobert in 1935.
Finally, there is an eclectic outbuilding. These are old stables likely from 1907. They previously belonged to the house at Tervurenlaan 301. That building is now replaced by an apartment building designed by architect René Coppens in 1965.
Although it’s hard to see from the street, Villa Gosset remains a classified monument. It stands as a testament to Art Deco-modernist architecture. It also reminds us of the Gosset family’s legacy.