We recently visited Casa Batlló in Barcelona, and I wanted to share a few photos we took of the front facade and interior that stood out to us with our readers. Gaudí's work is something we have been fans of for years, and aside from Sagrada Família and Park Güell, Casa Batlló is the building of his that we had most wanted to experience in person. Viewing it from the outside always prompts you to take a photo, while the unique forms carry through to the interior in a way that is both cohesively stylish and visually enjoyable from every angle

The facade facing Passeig de Gràcia is undoubtedly impressive, incorporating unique naturalistic forms as is typical of Gaudí's work. The lower floors are clad in ceramic tiles shaped like the scales of a reptile. The balconies are cast iron, each one formed in the shape of a skull and crossbones, though at a distance they read simply as organic forms without any single clear reference. The roof, which Gaudí shaped to resemble the arched back of a dragon, is tiled in ceramic pieces that catch the light in a way that makes the surface appear to move. What holds it together is that none of these elements feels like decoration applied to a building. Each one is the building, adding another layer of colour, form, or contrast. For this reason it is worth visiting both in the evening, as well as in the morning for an interior tour.

You enter through a communal hall on the ground floor before moving into the private entrance of the Batlló family's residence. There is not a straight line anywhere. The walls are vaulted and continuously curved, the skylights overhead are formed like turtle shells, and the wooden staircase rising through the space has a carved hardwood banister that reads as the spine of a large animal. The forms are unique, but the space is oddly relaxing, which is a harder feat to pull off.

The Noble Floor, which was the Batlló family's primary living space, is where the full scope of the stylistic intention is experienced. The ceiling of the main living room is poured concrete shaped into a continuous slow spiral, and the large picture window overlooking Passeig de Gràcia is framed in an undulating oak surround fitted with individual panes of coloured glass. The colour of light coming through it changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the façade as a result. The oak doors throughout the floor are carved, their forms coming from the same design language Gaudí applied across every element of the building rather than from any period reference.

The attic is the space that lingered with us longest. A sequence of white arches lines the full length of the floor, each one carrying the structural load of the roof above. They make no reference to any historical style. They are the most efficient structural form for the load they carry while adding beauty to what would have been an otherwise unceremonious space.

We have spent years collecting images from environments like this one, and the quality that draws us back to the best of them is always the same. They authentically reflect a vision that is not colloquial by any measure, every element also stays true to this intention and the environment is immersive as a result.