Castel Béranger

The seven-story facade of the Castel Béranger is defined by a chaotic mix of brick, stone, and ironwork that broke every architectural rule of nineteenth-century Paris. Architect Hector Guimard designed the building in eighteen ninety-eight, covering the exterior in asymmetric windows and fluid, vegetal metal patterns. It was the first Art Nouveau residential building in the city. When Guimard finished the project, the public ridiculed the strange design, yet it launched his career and redefined how Parisians understood modern domestic architecture.