‘Les douceurs de l’intimité’: Men and the Making of Domesticity in Belgian Architecture Magazines (1890-1914)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article uses intimacy and architecture as a way to tell the lesser-known story of men and the domestic in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Belgium. Drawing upon little-known interior design and architecture magazines, domestic manuals and photographs, I highlight how male architects and critics of architecture contributed to the making of domesticity. I show how ‘intimacy’ was used as a deceptive concept to frame the home as a restful refuge, as well as a catalyst for creative experimentation.