Episode 12: Vicens House

Casa Vicens is located at calle Carolines 24, in the Gracia neighborhood. This was the young Gaudí’s first major work. The building has an oriental and Mudejar feel, and stands out due to the excessive decoration that covers the façade with spectacular green and white tiles, which may be explained by the fact the owner was a tile manufacturer. Gaudí designed these stamped tiles that mix with the red brick by drawing inspiration from the damascene flowers embellishing the gardens of the property, which began a naturalist phase which the architect would use as a reference for the nature-based design. The decoration of these tiles gives the house a unique air and a strong sense of color, which draws comparisons with Arab constructions. In addition to the Mudejar style, Indian and Japanese influences are also present, such as the staggered angles to prevent classic rigidity. The house is crowned with chimneys and towers in the form of temples. The exterior also boasts a magnificent iron fence with floral motifs, a quintessential feature of Gaudí’s works, who designed the fence using clay models from the garden’s eye-catching palm leaves. Casa Vicens has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is currently owned by the Andorran bank MoraBanc, which plans to turn the property into a house-museum and open it to the public after redevelopment.
Photo Casa Vicens (Barcelona) - 3 by jorapa is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0