For people who have been unable to finagle invites into any of the glorious but closed-to-the-public Modernista buildings in Barcelona, numerous Modernista bars are located throughout the city, and for the price of a drink they can be inspected at leisure.
Café Vienés
The luxurious Café Vienés, in the five-star Hotel Casa Fuster, is a good place to start on the Modernista trail. The whole building was designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner as a home for the Mariano Fuster i Fuster family; it was completed in 1911 and the family lived there until the early Twenties. It was his last work, and Domènech i Montaner was conservative with his embellishments compared to one of his other masterpieces, the Palau de la Música Catalana. Design elements for Hotel Casa Fuster are bold, yet with straighter lines.
Upon entering the café, the glowing gold-leaf ceiling hovers over arches supported by large marble columns topped with floral capitals. Cocktails, teas and coffee can be enjoyed on curved, red velvet sofas. Breakfast, tapas and light fare is served throughout the day. Jazz is hot on Thursday nights and Woody Allen has dropped in to play. The Hotel Casa Fuster has been named in the Art Nouveau European Route, organised by an association that protects and promotes Art Nouveau heritage.
London Bar
For a different atmosphere, head to the London Bar. The high energy level there may be traceable to the circus performers and actors who used to practise in the back room. It has been a favourite haunt for artists since it opened in 1910, and on a busy night it can seem like they never left; a trapeze still hangs near the front door. However, only the front room of the bar is in the Modernista style. The unusual cream-coloured paint, combined with gold, undulates with carved designs on the woodwork. Behind the bar are large mirrors surrounded with whirling leaves, flowers and vegetables. Flowers are sculpted into the original marble bar. During Franco’s reign, no signs in Catalan were allowed; instead information could only be displayed in Castilian. The bar owners of that time covered their sign, rather than get rid of it, and the original signage survived. No food here, but the good news is that the cocktails are strong.
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