Trending now
PLACES & SPACES | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA
Barcelona’s Modernist architecture is a hallmark of the artistic and vibrant Spanish city. Amid its very popular and much-visited century old buildings, there are plenty of lesser known but equally outstanding residences that make for a unique route for the aesthetically minded. Rebeca Vaisman takes a tour through Barcelona's architectural past.
BY REBECA VAISMAN | ROOMS & GARDENS | 20 JUNE 2025
Barcelona’s Modernism is a display of decorative exuberance, an outburst of color and organic lines, inspired by nature. The late 19th-century movement acquired a personality of its own in Catalonia, with a special relevance in architecture.
It comes as no surprise that famous buildings, such as La Pedrera or Casa Batlló, both by Antonio Gaudí, muster lines of eager visitants. Barcelona harbours plenty of Modernist jewels, however, perhaps more off-radar, but greatly fascinating, both historically and artistically. We immerse in a unique Modernist Route through Casa Vicens, Casa Amatller and Oleguer Junyent’s Studio: three buildings with an array of architecture, interior design and art, as well as exceptional stories at their foundations.
Casa Vicens
This is the first professional residential project commissioned to a young Antonio Gaudí. Built between 1883 and 1885, the building was conceived as a summer residence in the Villa of Gracia, which is now one of the most predominant urban neighbourhoods in Barcelona. Casa Vicens is a historic house-museum that opened its doors in late 2017, after 130 years as a private home; therefore, the building still constitutes a dashing discovery for the Modernist design —and the Gaudí— enthusiast.
From its stand-out façade to its interiors, it’s an ornamental delight that represents the artistic freedom of its creator and gives out keys to understand the evolution of Gaudí’s work. The red and green building stands out in the narrow street, revealing an oriental and Moorish inspiration, as well as a praise to nature in its flower painted tiles and cast-iron gate with representations of leaves and carnations. Inside, pink and blue walls, stained glass, elaborately sculpted surfaces and doors, and a joyful ceramic tile work, as well as plenty of maximalist details, guide the visit.
Casa Vicens: © Casa Vicens Gaudí, Barcelona 2024.
The first house designed by Antonio Gaudí was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005 and it went through a thorough patrimonial recovery process before being ready to welcome the public. Space for exhibits was implemented: the permanent exhibition explains the social and cultural context of the house, examines Gaudí’s influences and showcases the original design, while room for temporary interventions allow artists, designers and architects to interact with the building.
Although the joyous design of Casa Vicens keeps gaining traction, it’s still a more relaxed visit compared to other Gaudi monuments in the city, thanks to the capacity limitations and regulated affluence.
Casa Amatller Facade © Gio Rez-Adobe.
Casa Amatller
Passeig de Gràcia is famous for its high-end stores and regal buildings; strolling down the avenue is a must-do to appreciate the spirit of the city. It is there, next to Casa Batlló, that Casa Amatller stands as a testament to Barcelona’s style innovations, as well as to the story of its bourgeoisie.
Antoni Amatller was the third generation of a family dedicated to the chocolate industry. Under his leadership, Amatller Chocolates became one of the most thriving Spanish companies of its time —still in production until this day. In 1898, he commissioned Josep Puig i Cadafalch with the remodelling of a preexisting building to create his new residence, where he was to live with his daughter Teresa. Puig i Cadafalch was not only one of the most sought-after architects, but he was also an art historian, archaeologist and politician. In 1900, the refurbishing of Casa Amatller was finished.
The original plane façade was sculpted into various architectural styles, like Romanic and Catalonian Neo-Gothic, to pervade it with rigged ornamental exuberance and asymmetry. However, it’s the staggered top that makes the building stand-out: this peculiar design, with Medieval reminiscence, was not merely an aesthetic statement, as the top of the building guarded the owner’s amateur photographic studio, which needed to be as far away from neighboring buildings as possible due to flammable products.
Inside, the foyer opens into a patio, from which a monumental set of stairs, deployed under an intricate Modernist-themed skylight, go up to the main floor, where the family lived. Antoni Amatller had great interest in the decorative arts, which his residence shows. Under architect Puig i Cadafalch’s design, some of the best craftsmen left their mark. Masters like Mario Maragliano, Italian mosaicists who made carpet-like mosaic floors along the halls; or Joan Espinagosa i Ferrando, who designed the stained glass and decorative windows.
Eusebi Arnau i Mascort, a prominent sculptor, created the dining room chimney: the scene in stone depicts the encounter of a European queen and a Native American queen over a ship, to represent the import of prime material that allowed the production of Amatller Chocolates. Furniture designed by the likes of decorator Gaspar Homar i Mezquida and by Puig i Cadafalch himself, complete the overall vision.
After the chocolate mogul’s passing, his daughter, Teresa Amatller, lived in the house until 1960. To preserve the house’s patrimony, she created the Institut Amatller de Arte Hispánico, a foundation that took care of the building and its valuable collection until it was opened for the public as a museum in 2009. Between 2010 and 2014 the residence was completely restored to show it as faithful to its glory days as possible.
Oleguer Junyent’s Atelier
Gràcia’s fame as the artistic quarter of Barcelona is not gratuitous and it carries a long story. It’s here that, in 1910, scenographer Oleguer Junyent bought a three-storey building for him to live and establish a spacious atelier in the middle floor. He had just taken a trip around the world that took him two years: Junyent returned with enriched eyes that met with the vibrant Barcelona Modernist scene.
His atelier not only became the place for him to work in new set designs, or showcase his large collection of furniture, art and antiques; it was also the meeting point for gatherings that summoned the cultural and intellectual circles of Barcelona. When he died in 1956, aged 80 years old, the place was kept just as he left it by his family: so, visiting is an opportunity for a glimpse into the heart of the Modernist art movement.
In addition to being a scenographer, Oleguer Junyent was a decorator, painter, art merchant, and antique dealer and collector. Amongst the most notorious pieces in his atelier, there’s a folding screen that he hand-painted; a pair of golden frames that he rescued from a demolished palacete and placed to gird a blue room that contains his religious imagery collection; and a baroque Saint Michael Archangel made by Luisa Roldán (1652–1706), the first woman to join the Spanish Sculpture Guild.
Everything in the studio welcomes time’s patina. His grandniece, Sabine Armengol, guides the tours herself. “His spirit and essence are still here”, she says. Visits are only by appointment and for small groups to better preserve the wooden floors and the objects huddled around. A unique culmination to the visit is the mezzanine that Junyent used for storing furniture and antiques, which has been turned into a permanent exhibit for the doll, automatons and costumes collection started by his niece, María Junyent (an art restorer and theatre wardrobe maker), and completed by Armengol.
the edit
Latest Articles
