I loved Casa Batlló as soon as I saw it. All those lovely mauves and blues and pinks on the façade. I’m a romantic at heart and my favourite painters are the impressionists and art deco artists such as Mucha and the Nancy school. The inside has soft curves and beautifully coloured ceramics. This is Gaudi without being gaudy. To get a really good idea of the façade, click on the official website.
I loved the lovely wooden doors with their curved shapes and lead lights.
- Top of double doors
Like Guell Palace, Casa Batlló also has a gallery overlooking the street below.
- Front gallery overlooking the street
This wood stove and benches must have been a favourite sitting area.
- The lovely wood stove in its alcove
The Battló’s had five children and I’m sure they all loved the appartment, particularly the cobalt-blue tiled inside stairwell which can be seen from the different rooms built around it.
Gaudi extended the inner courtyard to add more light and ventilate the rooms. It is big enough to take a lift. The azulejos tiling consists of 5 different shades that get darker as you go up the stairs to achieve a uniform colour. The darker tiles, which are closer to the roof, reflect less light, while the white tiles reflect more.
- Stairwell wall
The elevated terrace at the back, with its ceramics and mosaics, is much more attractive than that of Guell Palace. I love the details up the top.
The house is no longer furnished but this wash basin looks extremely modern, doesn’t it?
- Don’t you love the wavy walls?
When you keep going up the stairs, of course, you get to the roof with its wonderful chimneys that I described in a previous post.
I’ve really enjoyed your Gaudi series, especially the interiors. Lovely, and a remarkable legacy for the city.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series. Still one to go – La Pedrera. i agree that it is a remarkable legacy for the city. There are more World Heritage buildings in Barcelona than Paris, which is quite extraordinary when you think of it!
I’m glad you’ve been enjoying them. One more to go – La Pedrera. It is truly a wonderful legacy for Barcelona.
I have mixed reactions to these photos you have been sharing, occasionally I feel it’s just too much but mostly I feel uplifted and awestruck by the playfulness of the forms and decorations which bely the underlying functions. How wonderful that there were those families who could take the risk commissioning Gaudi’s visions!
I understand your mixed reactions. That is how I felt when I saw the Sagrada Familia from the outside. But somehow these buildings fit into the Barcelona cityscape remarkably well. You can find some of the same sort of interior details in the beautiful Art Deco mansions in Nancy. Inside, it’s surprising, but none of the decoration seems over the top, although it looks like it from the photos. There are other Gaudi buildings in Leon and Majorca in particular that I would now like to see.
oh my – this is so beautiful and fantastic! It would be like living in a surrealist film. I love the waves in the wood – especially in the first picture at the bottom of the staircase. So gorgeous!
Yes, the details are quite wonderful. It was definitely our favourite.
Fabulous Gaudi Interiors – Casa Batllo http://t.co/lf68YshTTq via @aussiefrance