Recently, we visited Casa Batlló to see a unique exhibition, with the works of Joan Miró and Joaquim Gomis presented within the contextual surroundings of Antoni Gaudí’s incredible architecture (see 00328). While there, we also popped into the newly-re-opened Third Floor to see how the grand residential building is reinventing its history for the future.

Built between 1904 and 1906 for the Batlló family, the grand home on the prominent Passeig de Gràcia was a remodelling of an existing property. Neighboured by three other important buildings of the Barcelona Modernista style – by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Enric Sagnier, and Marcel·lí Coquillat i Llofriu – Casa Batlló’s façade has become an icon synonymous with the Catalan Capital since the 1992 Olympics re-opened the city to the global tourist map.




For over two decades, visitors have also been able to explore spaces across the property. After the Batlló family sold the building in the 1950s it was subdivided into apartments, however since the 1990s, descendants of the original owners repurchased the house and have carefully opened-up and restored the property as and when apartment owners depart.

Tickets allows visitors to experience spaces including the main floor, vaulted attic, original concierge room, the Batlló’s private residence, as well as celebrated dragon-topped roof. Spaces that had lost their original fabric have also been converted into contemporary galleries. Now, a whole new floor has been revealed as a combination of historic restoration and contemporary design insertion as a space for public experiences and private hire.




The Third Floor has been lived in by descendants of the original owners for the last century, meaning much of the original decoration has remained. Layers added over the 20th century have been carefully stripped back to original stuccoes, flooring, and woodwork. Across the newly-revealed undulating ceiling a floral motif has been recovered, while even a previously unknown door handle design has been discovered.

Xavier Villanueva, lead restoration architect for the UNESCO-recognised building, said of the project: “We found a heavily altered residence, yet extraordinarily complete beneath later layers. The process was almost archaeological: removing, uncovering, and recovering what was already there.”




Within this meticulously repaired fabric, Architect, interior designer, and product designer Paula Navone was invited to insert a furniture and design approach to compliment the space and its future uses. Her Milanese firm, OTTO Studio, have taken an eclectic approach comprising furniture, unexpected design objects, and antique pieces across the suite of rooms to create spaces intended to be in dialogue with the physical and applied Gaudí designs it sits within.

The rooms will be used by public who purchase premium Visit Aperitif tickets, allowing access to all spaces across the building, concluding with tapas (or breakfast for early starters). The rooms are also available individually or collectively for private and corporate hire, offering a space for celebratory events or unconventional meetings.