© Richard HuangCasa BatllóNext door is a café called Faborit. Besides serving delicious hot chocolate, it has beautifully carved, classically styled doorframes that reward a closer look. When I asked about them, I discovered that Casa Amatller was right upstairs.
© Richard HuangThe mansion stands right beside Casa Batlló. Passeig de Gràcia is lined with grand houses, and their wealthy owners had both the means and the inclination to indulge their whims. As a result, each mansion has a completely different style, with little harmony between them—hence the area’s nickname, the Block of Discord. Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, for example, is exuberant and free-flowing, while Casa Amatller exudes understated luxury. Doesn’t its street façade look a little like a bar of chocolate?
© Richard HuangThat is no coincidence: it was the home of chocolate magnate Antoni Amatller. Antoni was the third generation of his family to run the business, whose chocolate is said to be the oldest in Spain.
© Richard HuangHe was also a keen photographer, fascinated by classical art and particularly drawn to explorations of the darker, more twisted aspects of human nature. In 1898, he commissioned the celebrated architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to design him a Gothic-style mansion.
© Richard HuangAfter Antoni died, his daughter inherited the house. She never married, and established a foundation to manage the mansion and its collections after her death. Visits must be made with a guide, and guests are required to wear shoe covers to protect the carpets. The historic interiors are very carefully preserved.
© Richard HuangWhen I call it understated luxury, I do mean understated. Stone is used extensively throughout the house, and the lighting is subdued. Visitor numbers are worlds apart from those next door at Casa Batlló. Our group had fewer than ten people.
© Richard HuangAlthough Cadafalch has been overshadowed by Gaudí, he remains one of the leading figures of Catalan Modernisme.
© Richard HuangHaving come of age amid the Catalan cultural renaissance, Cadafalch believed that Catalonia needed a modern architecture of its own.
© Richard HuangSuch buildings would unite classical artistic styles with the latest construction materials and the needs of contemporary society.
© Richard HuangThe bedrooms and sitting rooms feature exquisite wallpaper created by the French firm Isidore Leroy between 1899 and 1900.
© Richard HuangThe dining room, meanwhile, is adorned with beautiful sgraffito decoration.
© Richard HuangBesides being a successful chocolatier, Antoni was an accomplished photographer. His work won numerous international awards, and he served on the board of the Belgian Photographic Association.
© Richard HuangHis passion for photography kept him travelling the world for long stretches in pursuit of new work.
© Richard HuangThis left Mrs Amatller alone at home much of the time.
© Richard HuangLively by nature, Mrs Amatller often dropped in on the neighbours at Casa Batlló. She greatly admired Gaudí’s bright, dazzling, fairy-tale designs and was decidedly unhappy with the sombre restraint of her own home. Comparisons can be cruel. In the end, unable to bear the loneliness, she ran away with a tenor.
© Richard HuangAntoni’s pursuit of art brought losses as well as rewards. He often supported young artists, who returned the favour by designing a wealth of packaging and posters for his chocolates, giving the brand excellent publicity. The renowned artist Alphonse Mucha created a series of now-classic posters and packages for Amatller’s products, and the collaboration became much celebrated.
© Richard HuangWhen visiting Casa Batlló, do not forget to stop by Casa Amatller next door. Once you have had your fill of Gaudí’s flamboyance, try a different aesthetic and savour a little understated luxury. The Faborit café downstairs is even harder to pass up: enjoy “the world’s best hot chocolate” in the courtyard, then pick up some of “Spain’s oldest chocolate” to take home as gifts.
Casa Amatller was an unplanned detour. Little surprises like this are what make travelling such a pleasure.
As Forrest Gump put it, “My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
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