Gaze at the Glassmaker’s House. It stands as a testament to Art Nouveau’s embrace of nature. This is the former house and workshop of master glassworker Clas Gruner Sterner.
The Glassmaker’s House is located at 6 rue du Lac in Ixelles. It is not far from the Ixelles Ponds. Architect Ernest Delune designed it. Construction took place between 1893 and 1902.
Clas Gruner Sterner was a Viennese craftsman. He specialized in stained glass windows. The City of Brussels classified the Glassmaker’s House as a historic site in 2003.
The Glassmaker’s House has two floors and two bays. The left side features an entrance to the vestibule. Above it is a small room. The right side has a monumental stained-glass window. It illuminates the stairwell. The top floor held the artist’s studio. A trapezoidal bow-window lights it. The cornice highlights it. The front door boasts stained glass. Its patterns harmonize with the circle encompassing it. The circular motif repeats in the stairwell’s stained-glass window.
Renovations started in 2019. By December 2020, the exterior and interior were nearly complete. The facade had become dangerously degraded. The turquoise exterior was repainted with warmer earth tones. The stained glass pieces were restored.
Sterner designed beautiful Art Nouveau windows in his studio. These were for several of Delune’s houses. His own house features striking stained glass. The patterns are in synergy with the circle that encompasses it.
The Rue du Lac house displays original Art Nouveau features. It has an asymmetrical facade. The entrance door is remarkable with its circular shape. Molded stones surround it. Masterful stained glass windows punctuate the facade. The Austrian master glassmaker Clas Gruner Sterner created these. He occupied the workshop at the top of the Glassmaker’s House on the loggia level.
The whole building shows boundless creativity. It cannot be visited inside. But it is best viewed at night. The stained glass windows glow from within.
Moorcroft designers studied the iconic Art Nouveau frontage of Rue du Lac 6. They looked at the door and the staircase. The staircase runs along a large stained-glass window. This window occupies a vast section of the facade. It has a floral theme of thought.
The Glassmaker’s House stands as a symbol. It represents Brussels’ rich Art Nouveau heritage.