Casa-Museo Modernista, Novelda
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Anyone who has seen Gaudí’s buildings in Barcelona will love this lavish Art Nouveau-style town house, crammed with swirling woodwork, delicate wrought iron and turn-of-the-20th-century furnishings. It belonged to Antonia Navarro, a young widow with a substantial fortune, and was designed by the celebrated Murcian architect Pedro Cerdán. It fell into disrepair after the Civil War, but a meticulous restoration project has returned the graceful salons to their former glory.
In the study, look out for the corner cupboard in the form of a stalactite-filled grotto.
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1. Façade
1. FaçadeThe façade fuses Classical lines and Modernista details: curvaceous wrought-iron balconies; a profusion of stone fruit and flowers; an intricately carved door flanked with rosy marble panels.
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2. Study
2. StudyThe study is full of exquisitely carved woodwork, from the sculpted leaves on the fireplace to the undulating panelling on the lower walls.
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3. Dining Room
3. Dining RoomThis lavish room contains frescoes of languid women in woodland settings, elaborately trimmed doorways, and richly carved furniture.
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4. Patio/Courtyard
4. Patio/CourtyardThe delightful, ivy-draped patio is lined with pale sculpted columns supporting delicate arches. Hand-painted tiles depict Antonia Navarro’s substantial country estates.
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5. Staircase
5. StaircaseThe marble staircase curves sinuously upward, an intricate garland of wrought-iron vine tendrils curling between the balusters. Carved wooden panels succeed each other like waves. The bannister culminates in a graceful lamp.
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6. Stained-glass Ceilings
6. Stained-glass CeilingsThe entrance hall is flooded with light from a spectacular stained-glass ceiling of multicoloured flowers and leaves. Over the stairwell, a smaller, even more extravagant stained-glass ceiling is surrounded by ceramic flowers and exuberant plasterwork.
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7. Gallery
The exceptional woodwork featured throughout the house reaches its apotheosis in the sumptuous wooden gallery which encloses the stairwell. Loops and swirls of burnished walnut are richly carved with intricate detailing.
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8. Ballroom
8. BallroomThe ballroom is a theatrical whirl of red and gold. The exquisite tiled floor was designed by Catalan architect Domenech i Montaner.
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9. Bedrooms
All of the bedrooms have original furnishings. The bathroom adjoining the main bedroom has a huge bath carved from a single slab of marble.
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10. Exhibitions
The house has two permanent exhibitions: one of Art Nouveau-style graphic design; the other dedicated to Novelda-born explorer Jorge Juan.
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