CEMENT TILE COVERING
The Legacy of Leónia
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: BEATRIX TORMA
TOMORY LAJOS MUSEUM
CEMENT TILE CLADDING
The XVIII district, formed by the merger of Pestszentimre and Pestszentlőrinc, is a district of settlements in Budapest. Its oldest core is the former warren of the Grassalkovich family, the Villa-telep is the area of the old elite villas, while the Tulipán-telep has the character of summer resorts. The Szemere-telep was founded before the First World War, named after Miklós Szemere, a diplomat and member of parliament.
The summer house of the Herrich family
The history of the Herrich-Kiss villa, which now houses the Lajos Tomory Museum in the district, can also be traced back to the mid-19th century. The property was purchased in 1865 by hydraulic engineer Károly Herrich, a prominent figure in Hungarian river regulation, and his wife, Szidónia Deák. The estate and its buildings, including the main building of the Bókay Garden and the villa housing the museum, were used as a summer residence and farm building by its former inhabitants. After the death of Károly Herrich, the villa was inherited by his daughter, Leónia Herrich, who married István Kiss. At that time the building served as a longhouse with a partly agricultural function, with a wooden terrace still visible on the southern side.
In the late 1800s, Leónias husband, István Kiss, primarily known for designing public buildings, added a cross-wing and an ornate wooden glazed veranda at the western end of the building. The white walls of the villa are decorated with red brick around the windows, the plinth and the upper cornices of the cross-wing, while the facade of the southern wing recalls Northern European influences. Next to the villa, a rose garden and a fountain have been installed, sculptures were placed in the garden, and a vegetable garden was set up in a more distant area. The current form and size of the garden and the building were shaped by the next owner, Ferenc Erdélyi, a painter, who added a studio and terrace on the upper floor. The Herrich Villa also faced the unfortunate fate of nationalization, with social housing being developed on its grounds.
In 2018, the Lajos Tomory Museum moved into the villa, dedicating special attention not only to the research and documentation of the settlements but also to the exciting and diverse local historical and artistic aspects.
Cement tile covering
During the renovation of the building, it was not possible to reproduce the original, solid-fired, unglazed, mass-coloured relief Mettlachi tiles.
As an alternative to the original tiles, Iamart proposed the production of a diamond-pattern cement tile flooring, based on a fragment of the existing pattern, which is also part of the museums pattern collection, along with a matching border pattern, in a colour similar to the original tiles. The cement tile designed for the site is intended to cover the ornate wooden structure and glazed veranda flooring built in the 19th century and subsequently restored.
TOMORY LAJOS MUSEUM
CEMENT TILE CLADDING
The XVIII district, formed by the merger of Pestszentimre and Pestszentlőrinc, is a district of settlements in Budapest. Its oldest core is the former warren of the Grassalkovich family, the Villa-telep is the area of the old elite villas, while the Tulipán-telep has the character of summer resorts. The Szemere-telep was founded before the First World War, named after Miklós Szemere, a diplomat and member of parliament.
The summer house of the Herrich family
The history of the Herrich-Kiss villa, which now houses the Lajos Tomory Museum in the district, can also be traced back to the mid-19th century. The property was purchased in 1865 by hydraulic engineer Károly Herrich, a prominent figure in Hungarian river regulation, and his wife, Szidónia Deák. The estate and its buildings, including the main building of the Bókay Garden and the villa housing the museum, were used as a summer residence and farm building by its former inhabitants. After the death of Károly Herrich, the villa was inherited by his daughter, Leónia Herrich, who married István Kiss. At that time the building served as a longhouse with a partly agricultural function, with a wooden terrace still visible on the southern side.
In the late 1800s, Leónias husband, István Kiss, primarily known for designing public buildings, added a cross-wing and an ornate wooden glazed veranda at the western end of the building. The white walls of the villa are decorated with red brick around the windows, the plinth and the upper cornices of the cross-wing, while the facade of the southern wing recalls Northern European influences. Next to the villa, a rose garden and a fountain have been installed, sculptures were placed in the garden, and a vegetable garden was set up in a more distant area. The current form and size of the garden and the building were shaped by the next owner, Ferenc Erdélyi, a painter, who added a studio and terrace on the upper floor. The Herrich Villa also faced the unfortunate fate of nationalization, with social housing being developed on its grounds.
In 2018, the Lajos Tomory Museum moved into the villa, dedicating special attention not only to the research and documentation of the settlements but also to the exciting and diverse local historical and artistic aspects.
Cement tile covering
During the renovation of the building, it was not possible to reproduce the original, solid-fired, unglazed, mass-coloured relief Mettlachi tiles.
As an alternative to the original tiles, Iamart proposed the production of a diamond-pattern cement tile flooring, based on a fragment of the existing pattern, which is also part of the museums pattern collection, along with a matching border pattern, in a colour similar to the original tiles. The cement tile designed for the site is intended to cover the ornate wooden structure and glazed veranda flooring built in the 19th century and subsequently restored.
