Casa Calvet

Casa Calvet was completed by Gaudi during the turn of the century and fulfilled a prestigious commission from a wealthy textile manufacturer.

This construction would contain some of the artist's finest pieces of furniture within its various rooms though Gaudi would inevitably need to call on the assistance of supporting staff in order to complete this project within two years. There were also sculptured flourishes to elements of the interior as well, such as his mushroom designs that are incorporated into the balcony rails. The consistent style throughout this project is Catalan Baroque and it is amongst the grandest of all his works. The attention to detail is truly exquisite. The majority of rooms in this building were designed for office use whilst there was also a courtyard, entrance halls and a lift. The entrance halls were also significant for their decorative features. Some parts were left over to provide a residence for the donor and his family.

In the modern day the Casa Calvet is well preserved and currently being used as a private home with a restaurant on the ground floor. This remains a popular tourist destination whilst others will simply enjoy the external facade of the building without entering as part of their Gaudi trail experience. It was also classed as a Cultural Asset of National Interest as early as 1969. Pere Martir Calvet commissioned this entire project for his business and this represents a major boost to the company's reputation when considering its location within Barcelona as well as the famous architects behind its design and development. The building remains at Carrer de Casp 48, Eixample district and this is an elegant part of the city. This restricted Gaudi somewhat as his own creation would have to be in keeping with its surroundings. For that reason he produced what many believe to be his most conventional building design, though it still contained many elements of his creative brilliance.

The precision, consistency and uniformity of Casa Calvet is a long way from the majority of his organically themed buildings but there are still touches of Catalan Modernism on the facade if you look hard enough. Perhaps this building serves as a reminder of Gaudi's flexibility as a designer and also his ability to work within restrictive environments. This is a common issue for many architects due to the nature of their discipline. There are considerable amounts of symbolic additions to the front of the building whose meaning only becomes clear once you know a little about the donor's background. For example, the mushrooms mentioned earlier actually refer to one of Calvet’s favourite hobbies. There are also several sculptures close to the entrance that point to Calvet's early life plus some symbols Catalan history which returned later in some of his other designs.