Everything you need to know for your visit to Casa Lleó Morera

Lluís Domenech i Montanter’s project was to renovate a 19th century building into a jewel of Catalan modernism, using materials such as ceramics, iron and wood.

The facade of the building is symmetrical, as Lluis Domenech wanted to achieve visual harmony by placing a cylindrical tribune on the main floor that just overlooks the corner of the building and draws the attention of anyone passing by. We can see several sculptures on the facade of female figures, some of them destroyed in the rehabilitation works. Even so, on the second floor we find figures representing the technological advances of the time; photography, electricity, the phonograph and the telephone. In the window grills and in the railings of the terraces, we observe elements made with wrought iron, very typical in modernist architecture.

Another element that is repeated in the building is the design inspired by natural and organic forms, not only in the facade, but also in the interior. We see it in the curves and the stained glass windows that reproduce shapes and colors reminiscent of flowers.

Something that stands out from the outside is the pavilion on the terrace of the building. Its structure, formed by columns and a dome, shows the ornamental taste of modernism, but it also has an interesting history related to its use during the Spanish Civil War. Although it originally had no specific function, during the war it was used as a machine gun nest, which gives it an additional historical context that contrasts with its original aesthetic function.

Inside, we continue to observe the modernist style. The lobby and foyer are full of irregularities and movements sculpted in the stone, which give the sensation of fluidity and dynamism. Something that attracts a lot of attention in this area is the ceiling covered by detailed stained-glass windows that allow natural light to enter.

Domenech i Montaner worked with Gaspar Homar to create some of the interior furniture, which today can be found in the MNAC. Even so, you can still see the stained-glass windows, lamps, sofas and cabinets that decorate the interior, with naturalist and modernist elements. This makes the light filtering through the colorful windows create patterns and shapes inspired by nature.

In the great halls of the building, which the family used for social gatherings, we find many stained glass windows, mosaics and porcelain sculptures that narrate photographs of the family, in addition to the columns decorated with wrought iron floral details. The hallways and bedrooms have restored parquet floors and Roman mosaics on the walls.