Sagrada Familia, the Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudí, isn’t hurting for visitors. Any tourist knows where to go first on their trip to Barcelona. But far fewer are aware of the smaller inventions of its architect. For instance, the Batlló chair, originally designed by Gaudí in 1906, was reissued by BD Barcelona in 2024. After seeing it at the Milanese design fair, Salone del Mobile, that same year, interior designer Giancarlo Valle and his editor wife Jane Keltner de Valle pursued a partnership with BD Barcelona. Now, for the first time, the chair is coming to the US. Gaudí acolytes can see and even sit in one at Casa Valle, the pair's gallery in New York City.“There are so many inspiring and celebrated architect-designers,” says Keltner de Valle, “Josef Hoffmann, Josef Frank, Gio Ponti. But Gaudí, though prolific and arguably more famous than any other, is often overlooked in that context. His furniture has never been exhibited in New York before and many people aren’t even aware he designed furniture.”Courtsey of Casa ValleThe Batlló chair by Antoni Gaudí, produced by BD Barcelona for Casa Valle.At first glance, the chair reads as vaguely anthropomorphic, with a form that calls to mind snails or bones. Fittingly, the house Gaudí built for the Batlló family, Casa Batlló, is known colloquially as the “Casa Dels Ossos” or “House of Bones”, due to its façade of broken ceramic tiles. First built in 1877 for Lluís Sala Sánchez, the house was bought in 1903 by textile industrialist Josep Batlló. Gaudí convinced Batlló to remodel it rather than tearing it down, and by 1906 had finished a complete overhaul of the structure, encouraged by Batlló to design something completely free and without restriction. Gaudí saw to the house in detail, including designs for built-in and free-standing furniture.The Batlló chair started its life in Casa Batlló’s dining room. Fifty oak chairs of the same design, with a new ebony finish, are available through Casa Valle. Seeing the nearly price point might prompt the curious to ask if they’re buying a name and legacy or artistic genius and quality. The answer is: All of the above. For starters, each chair is meticulously constructed in Barcelona and takes eight to ten weeks from beginning to end. “Gaudi’s furniture today is crafted exactly as it was in 1906 with the same methods and materials and a certificate signed by the director of the Gaudi Cathedra,” says Valle. “You can very much feel that connection in the works.” Is 100 years of innovative Catalan design worth that price tag? We think sí! #antoni #gaudídesigned #chair #hits #new