Staff Reporter
AN award-winning GAUDI building has been transformed into a stylish apartment thanks to a local design firm.
Mimouca Barcelona used muted greys and blacks to bring to life the colourful mosaics and features left by the maestro in Casa Calvet.
Based in Calle Caspe, in the city’s Eixample district, the building was one of the artist’s first projects in the city. Built as a home and studio for the textile manufacturer Pere Màrtir Calvet, in 1900 Barcelona City Council awarded it the prize for the best building of the year.
Oak bookshelves, 1950s armchairs by Gigi Radice and black appliances perfectly compliment the Valencia pink marble chimney and Casadesus sofa.
The project was commissioned by one of Istanbul’s biggest art collectors who was looking for a home for his family in the Catalan capital.
For the redesign, Mimouca Barcelona paid meticulous attention to the vaulted ceilings and commissioned ceramics from top Spanish mosaic company Nolla to faithfully reproduce Gaudi’s inspired vision.
Barcelona’s Eixample district is a playground for Spanish modernist architecture enthusiasts. Antonio Gaudí was one of the architects who built the area, and recently, an apartment in his first modernist marvel in the district has been refurbished by local interiors firm Mimouca Barcelona.
It was the Nolla mosaic floors, vaulted ceilings and original stained glass of the building on Caspe Street that appealed to the client, one of Istanbul’s biggest art collectors. He was looking for a home for his family in the Spanish city, and was keen to return the interior back to its former splendour.
The Nolla mosaics were the starting point for Mimouca Barcelona, a firm led by Marta Casas, and they endeavoured to keep this flooring throughout the apartment. A subtle shade of mink was applied across walls, carpentry and cabinetry to accentuate its patterned power. The vaulted ceilings received equally meticulous attention, broken pieces tenderly removed and restored across friezes and mouldings.
Mimouca Barcelona’s interior enhances Gaudí’s lavish architectural highlights. In the living room, an original Valencia pink marble chimney is complemented by flanking bespoke oak bookshelves, a Casadesús sofa and vintage 1950s armchairs by Gigi Radice, upholstered in Rubelli velvet. Meanwhile, in the kitchen and dining room, black appliances by Dornbracht contrast the brushed oak dining table by Mimouca Barcelona and Andreu World’s Tauro chairs.
