On our recent Barcelona break, we stayed in a 20’s apartment in the middle of the City. Being on a corner, none of the rooms were symmetrical, the back bedroom winning the biggest number of walls award having seven distinct angles. There were two apartments per floor and the stair well was somewhat gloomy.

I was particularly intrigued by the peephole arrangement in the door. Inside, it was a fairly simple rotating brass plate but on the outside it was a very ornate grille.

(You can just about make out David peeping through in this shot).

I have two door examples from the hand of Gaudi. The first is from the Casa Battlo apartments, where the stairwell is light and airy, also being an internal light well.

The second is from La Pedrera (Casa Mila), in a reconstructed apartment there. It is interesting to read that all of the internal walls are non-structural, so that the apartments could be designed and laid out to the whim of the rich owner. (Note that the door closing handle is almost identical, Gaudi liked simplicity).

So what is the view alluded to in the post title? Back to our apartment, the back bedroom had a shuttered window, but when you opened it, you got this…