Lille, France — Art Nouveau Maison Coilliot.

The Maison Coilliot (Coilliot House) is an Art Nouveau house built by Hector Guimard and completed in 1900 in Lille, France. On March 16, 1977, it was designated as a historic site.A French ceramic entrepreneur named Louis Coilliot was a fan of enamelled lava and wanted to spread the technique. To do so, Coilliot hired Hector Guimard, an architect he met at the 1897 show La Céramique et Tous les Arts du Fe (“Ceramic Arts & Glass Making”), to apply the technique to the façade of his house. Because Coilliot’s factory and warehouse were at the back of his house, the façade served a dual purpose: it decorated the front of his house while also advertising his business.The Coilliot House is made of bricks and cut stone, with wrought iron, ceramic, and enamelled lava ornamental features. The ground floor has a shop, and the three upper floors are occupied by apartments. The home features two facades: a street façade that is parallel to the neighbouring structures, and a recessed façade that stands at an angle. Balconies on the two higher stories connect the two facades. The street façade, whose pediment is topped by a wooden roof, is flanked by green enamelled lava tiles.Two other buildings owned by the Coilliot family are located behind the house: the Coilliot storehouse, designed by François Hennebique, and a block of flats that the family rented out for extra revenue. The entire structure was…