Maison J. Hermans — Turnhout

House of J. Hermans, a joiner, built in 1938-1939 to designs by the architect E. Van Steenbergen, in a style the inventory describes as 'nieuwe zakelijkheid/art deco'. On a square plot, this two-storey house under a gently sloping flat roof forms an L around a courtyard; the ground floor held the entrance, the client's reception and showroom and a garage, and the bel-étage the living room, bedrooms, kitchen and a terrace. The cornice façade has a ground floor faced in dark-yellow glazed brick with deeply raked horizontal joints, on a bluestone plinth, with its original timber and iron window frames with curved glazing, and a rendered upper floor with a full-width rectangular bay window whose frames have been renewed in aluminium. Inside, a semicircular glazed partition separates the hall from the showroom, a full-height semicircular shaft of opal glass lights the service stair and kitchen, and a leaded-glass window bears moralising maxims; the timber stair rail was made by the client himself. The built-in furniture, also designed by Van Steenbergen, has been removed, with only the brick fireplace in the living room remaining. It is recorded in the Flemish architectural heritage inventory.

Translated from the French original.