Placeyourself in front of a monument of Barcelona such the Casa Batlló. Now look at the large group of tourists and passersby who are facing the front, whitherdo they look? Everyone, absolutely everyone will look up to appreciate the details of one of the masterpieces of Gaudí … Observe the curvilinear shapes of the windows, the representation of the dragon of Sant Jordi on the roof tiles … but very few will stop toobserve the floor. And it is quite strange to look down to appreciate art on the streets of the cities we visit, but in Barcelona it is unforgivable because thetiles are true works of art and theycould perfectlybe part of a Barcelona souvenirs, pieces thatyou will not hesitate to take home. Discover with us some samples.

Imagen: lavanguardia.com

The legacy of Gaudíon the floor

Gaudí is an architect whose work stands out forthe details. So he does not only care for designing structures and spectacular facades, but he also designs from furniture to flooring such as he did in his iconic works:his homes (Batlló and Milá).

For the Casa Batllo, he specifically designed a type of hexagonal hydraulic mosaic tile decorated with marine motifs, mainly algae, starfish and shells. These tiles finally did not arrive in time to be used in the emblematic building of the bone of contention of Barcelona, but they were used in the Casa Milá (La Pedrera), which was reutilized.

Finally, the beautiful design of these tiles could not be confined to a single building, and the city council decided to use this pavement around the whole Paseo de Gracia, where nowadays it can be appreciated.

The trodden artwork of Barcelona

How much does a Miró cost? Would you dare to treadonand onagain a work of the Catalan artist? This is what happens in Las Ramblas, probably the most tourist route of Barcelona, where in front of the Liceu we find the tiles with whichMiró wanted to welcome all visitors.

A very representative mosaic of abstract art by Miró and where every day thousands of locals and foreigners walk into. This is a good example which shows that art can be troddenand a good place to look down.

Barcelona’s floor par excellence

Gaudí design a beautiful pavement for Casa Batlló, but it was his “competitor” Josep PuigiCadafalch who managed to fill of art the city of Barcelona with his sidewalks and promenades with the tile par excellence of the Catalan capital:the Barcelona flower.

This beautiful model of roughshod is not only found in the most important monuments, but it can be seen in every corner of the city: from the suburbs to the Ramblas. In addition,this design is used to mark the corners that are part of the Route of Modernism.

Nature, geometry and identity always present

In addition to having the finest architects and artists, all other designs that can be found in Barcelona throughout the city have in common a connection with nature and the fact that they make from Barcelona a particular brand: a distinctive touch in every corner.

Thus, pavements like those which decorate the Diagonal Avenue, with references to the fallen leaves of banana tree, so present in the city, or the mythical Ramblas, with undulating shapes reminiscent of the movement of the waves of the Mediterranean nearby, take nature as principal source of inspiration.

Others like the rhombus tiles competing in number and distinction with the flower of Barcelona, or the roses design, take thegeometric shapes that evoke artists like Picasso or Miróas their inspiration.