Otherwise known as Casa Gomis, this iconic villa was designed in 1953-54 in an area of Barcelona surrounded by pine trees. Design input was primarily that of architect Antonio Bonet, in cooperation with the owners Ricardo Gomis and his wife, Agnes Bertrand Mata.

The villa was conceived from a distance because Bonet was in exile in South America and yet remained constantly in touch with the couple. The result? A lengthy and emotional creative adventure of 900 square metres planned to the minutest detail. Every line, material, colour, finish and furnishing adhered to a precise design.

Their aim was to achieve harmony with the surrounding landscape, letting light flood in while managing it, finding peace in the challenging balance of light and shade.

La Ricarda was a refuge for artists and intellectuals during the last 15 years of Franco’s dictatorship, where Ricardo and Agnes Gomis hosted John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Miró, and countless other protagonists of the avant-garde scene.

It became a place of artistic and architectural experimentation and several pavilions, arranged asymmetrically, make up the body of the building. The undulating arches echo the profile of the pine trees, in an interplay that reveals and conceals nature and human construction. Two main axes converge towards the atrium and each part of the house has a virtual counterpart in the open air. Terraces and verandas overlook the garden with floor-to-ceiling windows.

This consummate exercise in custom-built structure still surprises today for its modernity and includes the latest Molteni&C l Dada designs. These feature the Gregor modular seating system, Gliss Master Sistema 7 wardrobes and the refined Ratio kitchen designed by Vincent Van Duysen. Also highlighted are Surf sofas, which mark a new partnership with Canadian designers Yabu Pushelberg; set harmoniously within the interiors of one of the most important icons of Catalan Rationalism.

visit: www.illusso.co.za

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