Barcelona and Gaudi

One almost can't think of Barcelona and not think of its favorite architectural son, Antoni Gaudi. He is world renown for his architectural works of art.



My favorite of his achievements was the Casa Batllo. It was a private residence, that I believe had some rented apartments with it as well.


Casa Batllo is a triumph of Art Nouveau, and yet Gaudi's style supercedes the Art Nouveau movement, and becomes something unto itself. His use of mosaic tiles as well as organic forms come together to create a very warm and comforting building. This is one of his projects that I feel really, really works.










I love all the round curves. They say there are no straight lines in the building. However, it is his use of the straight where necessary, and then the augmentation with the curves that softens the building and makes it so inviting.



With no straight lines completely, I think the building would feel as though it were completely melting.




There is a great rooftop deck that would be fantastic for entertaining. I'd love to see what Gaudi would have done with a built in mosaic ceramic tile BBQ.

The roof is really cool and resembles the back and scales of a mythical dragon.

Some very Seussian chimneys cap off the top to this remarkable building that though built over 100 years ago feels very contemporary in a retro sort of way. It would not be out of place in Santa Monica, CA.

Though admission to this building is a little pricey, it is well worth the visit. We chose this over the other Gaudi buildings that are open for tours. It has very little in the way of furnishings, so the architecture can really stand out.