Casa Vincens

Casa Vincens, a modernist building, situated in the Gracia neighbourhood, was Gaudi's first major project. It was built between 1883 and 1885. The work belongs to the orientalist style but it has the uniqueness that only he knew how to add to his projects. He used an abundance of ceramic tiling to decorate, as well as Moorish arches, columns of exposed brick and temple-shaped and dome-shaped finishes.

The work was widely discussed when it was built and caused a great sensation among the general public.

In 1925 an extension of the house was planned, a commission that was offered to Gaudi, which he declined. Instead he passed it to one of his proteges, Joan Baptista Serra, who built an extension following Gaudi's original style.

Walls stand out for their prominent sections, which is a feature of Islamic architecture. Masonry ashlars alternate with the tiles, some with plant motifs and others in a green and white check design. The different surfaces and geometric effects create chiaroscuros, which accentuate the chromatic diversity of the exterior.

On the second fllor of both the street facade and the garden there is a continuous gallery of mitred arches that surrounds the upper part, closed off with oriental-style wooden latticework.

The corners feature galleries at 45 degrees, with balconies supported by brick brackets in successive overhangs. 

We entered the grounds and walked around the house to get to the main entrance.

 On the walls Gaudi combined faceted masonry, exposed brick and ceramic tiling.

We got to the back which was originally the entrance to the house. People and carriages entered through the palm heart gate.

From here, we could see the covered porch and the latticework that surrounds it, which is made of wood and is inspired by the orient and reminiscent of a tyle of Japanese shutters called shitomi

the porch has a fountain in the middle.

We took the stairs to enter the house.

We entered the lobby and the window with its ironwork  gave us a view of the street

The dining room

Through the door we could see the stairs going up and what a contrast!

The ceiling of the dining room

The paintings are by Fransesc Torrescassana i Sallares (1845-1918)

The fireplace has doors on either side

that lead

to the covered porch which is open to the outside thanks to the oriental-inspired latticework. There are wooden benches and it's a very calm, serene place to sit in. I did so for a bit.

The fountain looks like a font.

We moved on 

to the smoking room which has a partitioned vault covered with a ceiling of Islamic style muqarnas in the shape of stalactites made of polychrome plaster that show palm trees and clusters of dates. 

The walls are lined with papier mache tiles in shades of gold, blue and green.

We took the stairs on to the next level

had a look at one of the two balconies on the side of the house

it's the detail...

looked up at the ceiling

another balcony

a detailed look at part of the outside

we moved on to the bathroom

look at that ceiling

then the w.c.

Then up the stairs that lead to the roof. Note the window.

We arrived at the terrace

Same as all the other roofs of Gaudi I have seen, the chimneys, the tiles, just wonderful.