{"id":712769,"date":"2026-07-27T00:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/712769\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T00:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:30:09","slug":"casa-batllo-opens-gaudis-restored-third-floor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/712769\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa Batll\u00f3 Opens Gaud\u00ed’s Restored Third Floor"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than a century, one part of Barcelona\u2019s<\/a> iconic Casa Batll\u00f3<\/a> remained hidden from public view. While millions of visitors explored Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2019s<\/a> flowing interiors and sculptural rooftop, the building\u2019s famed Third Floor continued serving its original purpose: a private home. Now, after a three-year restoration costing more than \u20ac4 million ($4.5 million), Casa Batll\u00f3<\/a> has opened the residence for the first time, revealing the building\u2019s last original living space exactly where generations of the Batll\u00f3 family left it.<\/p>\n

When textile industrialist Josep Batll\u00f3 commissioned Gaud\u00ed to transform the building in 1904, the architect completely reimagined the structure. He redesigned the fa\u00e7ade, added two new floors and the now-famous rooftop, and reshaped the interiors with the organic forms that define Casa Batll\u00f3 today. The UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/a> now welcomes millions of visitors each year along Barcelona\u2019s Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia.<\/p>\n

Even as the rest of the house gradually became part of the museum, the Third Floor remained a private residence. Direct descendants of the Batll\u00f3 family lived there until 2019, when its final resident, Mercedes Arbiol Muntan\u00e9, passed away. Because the apartment never became an exhibition space, it preserved something exceptionally rare: an authentic domestic interior that had evolved through everyday life rather than museum interpretation.<\/p>\n

Restoration architect Xavier Villanueva led the three-year conservation project with an emphasis on uncovering, rather than recreating, Gaud\u00ed\u2019s original work. As conservators removed later additions, they revealed remarkably intact decorative details hidden beneath decades of renovations.<\/p>\n

The restoration uncovered floral stuccoes, original undulating ceilings, and doors that Gaud\u00ed had repurposed from elsewhere in the house. Researchers also identified a previously undocumented door handle designed specifically for Casa Batll\u00f3. Whenever possible, craftspeople conserved the original woodwork, floors, and plaster. When repairs proved necessary, they recreated missing elements using traditional artisanal techniques.<\/p>\n

Instead of furnishing the apartment as a period museum, Casa Batll\u00f3 invited Italian designer Paola Navone and OTTO Studio to create interiors that feel contemporary while respecting Gaud\u00ed\u2019s architecture. Custom lighting, hand-knotted rugs, sculptural furniture, and handcrafted objects add warmth throughout the residence. The new furnishings complement the building\u2019s flowing forms instead of competing with them, allowing the apartment to feel like a home once again.<\/p>\n

Spanning roughly 440 square meters (4,700 square feet), the residence unfolds through a series of distinct rooms. The Sala Gaud\u00ed welcomes visitors with rich red seating beneath restored ceilings decorated with olive branch motifs. Original picture hooks still line the upper walls, preserving traces of the family\u2019s daily life. Elsewhere, a games room features a whimsical chandelier inspired by coral and mermaids, while a serene blue kitchen and adjoining gastrobar echo the marine palette that runs throughout Casa Batll\u00f3. Natural light and cross ventilation flow through every room, reflecting Gaud\u00ed\u2019s thoughtful approach to residential design.<\/p>\n

Rather than adding the apartment to the museum route, Casa Batll\u00f3 now offers the restored residence as a collection of exclusive private rooms and experiences. The spaces host meetings, celebrations, presentations, and intimate dining events, allowing visitors to experience Gaud\u00ed\u2019s architecture as it was originally intended: as a place to gather and live.<\/p>\n

The newly opened Third Floor offers a rare glimpse into the everyday side of one of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s most celebrated masterpieces. More than a restored interior, it preserves the atmosphere of a home that remained in the same family for generations, bringing visitors closer to the architect\u2019s vision of domestic life than ever before.<\/p>\n

Casa Batll\u00f3 has opened its long-private Third Floor residence for the first time, revealing the last original living quarters inside Gaud\u00ed\u2019s architectural masterpiece after more than a century.<\/p>\n

A meticulous three-year restoration uncovered original stucco work, undulating ceilings, and custom hardware, while Paola Navone\u2019s contemporary interiors give the apartment new life as a private experience that honors Gaud\u00ed\u2019s original vision for residential design.<\/p>\n

Casa Batll\u00f3: Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a>
\nSources: A 1906 Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2013Designed Residence Comes Back to Life in Barcelona<\/a>; Casa Batll\u00f3 restores Gaud\u00ed\u2019s last original residence and opens it for the first time as an exclusive private rooms and experiences venue<\/a>; Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2019s Last Original Residence at Casa Batll\u00f3 Opens Following Three-Year Restoration<\/a>
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