Magical Gaudi’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona

When inside Gaudi’s Casa Batlló you feel as though you’ve entered a colourful fishtank, snorkling your way from one side to the other. This is a Willy Wonker of experiences and boy are you in for a ride!

Casa Batlló, situated at Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona was built between 1904 and 1906 and was designed by the Catalan artist who similarly contributed to the world-renowned Sagrada Familia.

From each and every angle at Casa Batlló there’s even a more bizarre view. Here you are compelled to really look beyond traditional design and traditional ways of thinking. Even the very first thing you encounter – these oddly shaped vases (above), add to one’s first impression of the house.

Then things start to get a little bit weird…maybe a little too weird (depending on your own level of weirdness). Take for example this little mushroom shaped room with benches and a fireplace. Pretty cozy if you ask me!

And now the swimming starts. Round shapes, bright colours and lots of light are combined in a unique manner.

A contrast between the darkness of wood and colourful light is one of the first things you observe when inside Casa Batlló.

Just look at the detail on the doors to this room…these wooden patterns appear almost as bones (can I even go so far as to suggest a spinal cord perhaps?). It is evident that this house is a living, breathing body of work.

Soft contours and curves make things easy on the eye but they also create a somewhat strange floating feeling.

See what I mean about being in a fishtank and looking out?

This is the view from some of the windows…rather magnificent indeed.

Gaudi used a lot of blue hues in the inner parts of the house to create illusions of light in what could have been a very dark building. I must say that these windows freak me out a bit…they look like a scary mask or face if you look carefully.

And this very bizarre view looks down on some arbitrary architectural elements. If it weren’t for the elevated blue tiles I’m sure visitors would have liked to slide right down instead!

And this is the view from the ground floor looking out to the garden.

Even the garden is brightly coloured and unusually designed.

Once you’re back inside again you now make your way higher up. The walls inside change to a more royal blue colour and things become even more wishy washy and quirkier!

You’ll really feel as though you’re in a public swimming pool of sorts.

And the final part of the visit – the roof top terrace is even weirder…

It looks like the scales of a dinosaur or a fish.

So now you know that you really were inside a living, breathing body of art…

Thank heavens for the audio guide at Casa Batlló so I could attempt to make sense of it all!

And last but not least – even Casa Batlló’s museum shop is a talking point in itself.

When it comes to Gaudi’s Casa Batlló, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot to be discovered so make sure you don’t only view the house from the outside. Step inside Gaudi’s fantasy world, this fish tank of design. Let youself be transported into a whole new world of aesthetics you never knew existed. This is an experience! This is Barcelona as I know it.