What you see

The street façade on Carrer de Sant Pau is understated: a five-storey early-20th-century Barcelona block with modest ironwork balconies. The drama begins at the threshold. Inside, Domènech i Montaner divided the ground floor into two principal rooms distinguished by their decorative programmes. The Saló de les Sirenes — the Mermaids’ Room — is the former guest dining room, its upper walls covered in marine sgraffito by Ramon Casas: writhing sea creatures and mythological figures rendered in swirling ochre and cream tones. The heraldic tile wainscot runs at shoulder height, its geometric logic a counterpoint to the organic energy above.

The Arnau Room takes its name from sculptor Eusebi Arnau, who carved the five-metre alabaster fireplace that dominates one wall. The relief depicts allegorical figures representing the ages of man, flanked by heraldic emblems. A coffered skylight overhead floods the space with diffused natural light. Original period fixtures survive throughout both rooms, making the ensemble one of the best-preserved Modernista interiors in Barcelona.