Spanish Design: Azulejos

Inspiration

Spanish Design: Azulejos

On a recent trip to Spain, Alexander was accosted by a barrage of aesthetic inspiration in Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona. As a means of unloading some of the weight under which his eyes were straining, he captured many photographs along the way for later digestion of these sights in tranquility. The next few posts will contain examples of the sorts of design that most peremptorily attracted his attention.

One of many remnants of the Moorish history of Spain, this kind of ornamental tile work—called azulejos—is very common in Spain and Portugal. It can be found in all manner of architecture and public spaces and represents an endemic aesthetic of the Iberian peninsula. Pictured here are a street sign in Seville in the top left, an exterior wall in Barcelona in the bottom left, and a bench and column in the Alcázar of Seville in the centre and right respectively.

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