The flooring of La Pedrera

At the end of the 19th century, small ceramic tiles became popular in Catalonia, replacing the traditional fired clay tiles used up until then. Architect Antoni Gaudí initially worked with these small ceramic tiles but later embraced hydraulic mosaic tiles, which allowed him to design vibrant stone carpets.

Gaudí began designing hexagonal hydraulic mosaic tiles for Casa Batlló. However, due to production delays at Escofet i Cia. caused by the complexity of the design, the tiles were ultimately used in Casa Milà (La Pedrera).

With these hexagonal tiles, Gaudí created a decorative composition using embossed patterns and a green nephrite colour. A total of seven tiles are needed to depict allegories of the marine world, featuring the bold spiral of an ammonite, a starfish (ophiuroid type) and the triangular form of an alga, possibly from the sargassum family.

Gaudí’s tiles are part of a naturalistic ornamental system and were installed in the secondary rooms of Casa Milà. In addition to the tiles, Gaudí designed a distinctive parquet floor crafted from oak and poplar wood for the living rooms.

This parquet, also based on hexagons, is divided into twelve triangles alternating between the two types of wood. When the hexagons are joined, and the radial divisions are extended, a striking two-tone mosaic is created. This parquet was installed in all the common areas of La Pedrera’s apartments and was crafted in the Casas i Bardés Workshop.