About Casa Batlló
The interior
The interior of Casa Batlló is a marvel of design. Gaudí collaborated with the best craftsmen of the time working with wrought iron, wood, glass, ceramics, stone...
A total work of art
As you walk through the house, the details keep surprising you. The doors of each floor are identified by letters with modernist traits. The glass on each landing distorts the tiles of the light well, transforming them into beautiful waves of water. The knobs and handrails have ergonomic shapes… It’s a total work of art, where the artist has intervened in everything: design, color, form, space, and light.
All this exuberance overwhelms you, but the most surprising thing is that it’s always subordinated to functionality. Beauty and function come together in every area of the building, from the lobby to the rooftop.
The lobby
From the community lobby on the ground floor, and through an imposing modernist grille, you access the private lobby of the Batlló family, the first stop of the tour. This space evokes a submarine atmosphere that transports you to the fantastic world of Jules Verne, with skylights that resemble turtle shells, vaulted walls with sinuous shapes, and a spectacular wooden staircase. Its handrail, carved from fine wood, represents the spine of a large animal that rises through impossible gaps.
The main floor
The main floor is the heart of the House, a unique living room that represents the highest expression of modernism and tells us how the bourgeoisie of the time lived.
On this floor, we first find Mr. Batlló’s office and a curious mushroom-shaped fireplace. Then, we access the main living room of the House, where the protagonist is a large window that forms a viewing platform over Passeig de Gràcia, ideal for seeing and being seen. Among other elements, the large oak doors with organic shapes stand out, in which Gaudí integrated colored glass, as well as a completely undulating ceiling, alluding to the power of the sea.
The lightwell
The lightwell is a fundamental part of the House, as it distributes the air and light that enters through the main skylight. Gaudí expanded the lightwell (there was one and he made it into two) with the aim of allowing natural light to reach all the rooms of the House. Additionally, he covered it with tiles in various shades of blue (darker at the top and lighter at the bottom) to achieve an even distribution of light.
Following the same logic, the upper windows are smaller, and as we go down, they get larger (to allow more light in). The lower part of the windows incorporates wooden slats that can be opened or closed to adjust the ventilation.
In the central part of the lightwell, Gaudí installed the elevator, whose beautiful original wooden cabin is still in operation.
The inner courtyard
From the private dining room of the Batlló family located in the interior of the main floor, access is gained to an exclusive back courtyard, a small oasis in the middle of the city designed to be enjoyed in the afternoon. This space stands out for its flooring and for the ceramic and glass-covered planters as a major decorative element.
The façade of the courtyard was conceived by Gaudí as a vertical garden of glass, ceramics, and iron. It symbolizes a flowering climbing plant, like a bougainvillea that climbs up the sides and meets at the top. Additionally, both sides are symbolically united by the iron balconies, which are undulating and evoke the branches of the plant. This garden idea extends into the courtyard, where different planters and a spectacular heath pergola designed to provide shade will be recovered.
The attic
The attic is one of the most unique spaces, an exquisite combination of aesthetics and functionality. It is a service area for the building’s tenants, including laundry rooms, storage rooms, etc.
It is characterized by the simplicity of its forms, Mediterranean inspiration through the use of white, and the omnipresence of light. A succession of sixty catenary arches stands out, creating a space that evokes the ribs of an animal.
The rooftop
On the rooftop, what is popularly known as the dragon’s back stands out, which characterizes the façade and which Gaudí represents with tiles of various colors.
However, the real protagonists of the rooftop are the four sets of chimneys with sinuous and polychromatic shapes, designed to prevent the air from blowing back inside.