#building facade

Triptych - Jake Fischer , 2018.

American, b. 1985  -

Saturday, March 28th, 2026.

McIntyre Building.

2 houses located in Etterbeek, in the Brussels Capital region, designed by Paul Cauchie. The first is his personal home, secondly a house he build as rental property.

While still a student, Paul Cauchie founded his own company in 1896, specializing in decoration. He revived the sgraffiti technique, which he had learned from Henri Baes. Cauchie also took part in many exhibitions and competitions and was awarded several awards, including the Prix Donnay. In January 1899 he made a study trip to Paris. He wanted to travel even further, but because his business was so successful, he returned. In 1901 the Cauchie family moved from Ter Hulpen to Schaarbeek.

In 1905 Cauchie married Caroline Voet (1875 - 1969), called Lina. She went on to play an important role in the decoration company. They also immediately built a house. Cauchie designed it himself at Frankenstraat 5 in Etterbeek. The house, now called Cauchie House, was built in the Art Nouveau style, but was also inspired by the architectural style of Charles Mackintosh, with the influence of Japonism. The facade is almost completely covered in sgraffiti. Cauchie's wife decorated the interior together with her husband.

Cauchie's company received a lot of orders, so he had to hire employees. In 1913 he expanded further and founded the SA Comptoir de Matériaux de Construction, with headquarters in Dinant. A company brochure from 1914 mentions thousands (!!!) of finished sgraffiti. Although sgraffiti were his most important trade mark in that period, he also designed stained glass windows (including for Villa Dageraad in Eeklo), ceiling paintings and furniture. His work (especially sgraffiti, both for outdoor decoration and in the interior) can be found in many places in Belgium.