philippine tatler. august 2018firm, Zeller, Villinger, & Cie, imported
various exotic items, including tropical
woods for decorating or detailing the
homes of prosperous merchants and
public figures.
In 1910, Villinger and his business
partner Emile Zeller decided to build their
respective homes on adjacent lots. As both
businessmen shared a taste for the lavish
ornamentation that was in vogue at the
time, they called upon the talents of the
artist-architect Paul Schultze-Naumberg,
one of the proponents of the Jugendstil
movement, Germany’s take on Art
Nouveau. Schultze-Naumberg was inspired
by French architecture from the birth of
Neoclassicism which featured an elegant
simplicity characterised by its attention
to detail, the precision of its post-and-
lintel construction, and its use of straight
columns and fluting. As a result, the house
was seen as a showcase of the best in
Neoclassicism in that part of the world.
Sadly, following the Second World War,
the original family left the house and it was
taken over by the French diplomatic corps
as its consulate in Belgium. While the new