Considered one of the first true displays of the Art Nouveau movement, Hotel Tassel is a townhouse located in Brussels, Belgium designed by famous architect and designer, Victor Horta in 1893. Consisting of three different parts, the townhouse is a combination of two rather conventional buildings of brick and stone connected to another building on the side of the street using steel structure covered with glass. This connection functions as the connective part in the spatial composition of the house containing staircases and landings connecting the different rooms and floors while the decorative glass roof acts as a light shaft that brings natural light into the centre of the building.

Horta designed every inch of this hotel. The exterior of the building is designed to be smooth with a sense of fluidity. Moving away from typical architectural styles, the columns (made of iron instead of stone) dominate the front portion holding a large bay window. This bay creates a sense of openness and lightness to the building. Inside, carefully selected door handles, intricate woodwork, stained glass windows and mosaic flooring all come together to create lavish decoration without masking the general architectural structures. Organic forms and exposed materials allowed for the interior to retain a cohesive sense of fluidity.

It's highly innovative plan and groundbreaking use of materials and decoration mark the style and approach for most of Horta’s later townhouses including Hotel van Eetvelde, Hotel Solvay and his own personal house. Today, many go to admire the work of Horta during their travels to Brussels but the inside is closed to the public.