The last few years have been big ones for Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, despite the fact that he passed on to that great big famously delayed construction project in the sky back in 1926. In 2011, Barcelona's Sagrada Família basilica was finally marked with a speculative but nonetheless exciting completion date of 2026, which would be 144 years after his masterpiece first broke ground. Today would've been birthday number 162 for the master of Catalan Modernism, and though the upcoming completion of his life's work would be a hard gift to top, corralled below are seven so-called "Gaudí-inspired" homes currently on the market. Running the gamut from elegantly tiled Spanish villas to mermaid-chic Laguna Beach lairs, these abodes claim—some more convincingly than others—to be the modern residential standard-bearers of Gaudí's legacy.
↑ Art collector and former movie studio carpenter Byron Vreeland designed and built this L.A. four-bedroom in the 1970s, inspired, according to the listing, by "Catalan architects like Antoni Gaudi." When it was picked up by Curbed LA earlier this year after hitting the market for $1.375M, it prompted one commenter to declare that "Gaudi can't be pulled off on a budget." (Which rings true in the case of Sagrada Familia, which has been under construction for so long that people have given up trying to calculate its construction cost.) The home wasn't without its champions, though; another commenter claimed that all its loopy interior needed was more color, tiles, and a good coat of paint, but it didn't stay on the market long enough for anyone to find out. This April, it reappeared as a rental asking $4,800 a month.
↑ Taking the architectural craziness of Laguna Beach to levels rarely seen is this 1996 seaside home by architect Brion Jeannette. The brokerbabble claims that it was "influenced by excursions to Barcelona," and has "subtle hints of Gaudi-inspired design elements," but whatever your opinion on undulating, silvery furniture and giant shell art, it would be hard to argue that anything going on this home is subtle, exactly. A $15M ask lands this "life-size abalone shell."
↑ Listed all the way back in 2011 for $375K, this yellow New Orleans three-bedroom hopped on and off the market for three years before reappearing in February $41K cheaper and a bit a de-Gaudífied. Its interior walls were purged of their ruby red, blue, and gold-colored look, which wasn't nearly as flamboyant and kaleidoscopic as the best of Gaudí's color schemes, but was, according to the listing, part of designer Tom Leathem's attempt at channeling the great master. The coved ceilings, archways, and colorful tiles still do their due diligence referencing emulating his specific brand of Catalan Modernism, though. The 2,655-square-foot home was taken off the market in May at $334K, but given its history, it probably won't be gone for long.
↑ Apparently the "Perfect Rental for 4th of July Fireworks and Harbor Festival" of Santa Barbara, this 3,600-square-foot home seeks $30K a month for the architecture of "California's romantic era of the 1920's" mixed with a "Gaudi inspired foyer overlooking the sea."
↑ Per the marketing material, this $2.72M villa in Santa Catalin, Spain, still retains "vestiges of the Majorcan magnificent modernist period Gaudí School." There's a disappointed lack of information on the history of the place, but the Sotheby's text asserts that the courtyard-garden combo—pictured above in an impressively un-manicured state—is "not found in other properties of Santa Catalina." If you're willing to undertake "comprehensive reform you can have a big house or flats," but either way the original tile should be left alone.
↑ This $599K offering in Carmel, Calif., which claims "STONE & BRICK IN A STYLE REMINISCENT OF GAUDI," is probably the biggest stretch of the bunch. Good hustle, though!
↑ Designed by a "Kenneth Treister," who is apparently known for his "Gaudi-Esque style," this 1964 Coral Gables three-bedroom is an odd mix of pretty conventional Floridian elements and cool curves. The ask? $1.695M. · All Antoni Gaudí coverage [Curbed National]
· All Sagrada Familia coverage [Curbed National]