Hi

Among the talk against the frase "it is not even real wood" say how little chance genuine skills work in england, you have the best skilled artists all the need anyone would ask ,to place just a few small gems then rather than boring english shop fronts ,they se if it is "real" rather than look into the genuine skills and why true craftmen don't even find just a small corner ,just to display the fact that there are things more beautifull than boring edgy Tutor ,more attractive than lame academic 70' style .

Now Gaudi did not run around and place every cheramic, he did not take any decision but had an army of skilled craftmen who mastered the materials and style. Why the style did not reflect more and survived further ,proberly deal with tha fact that these wonders was the outmost limits of the technikes and skills , the top you could ask with stone and cement ,but there was a place for the arts the artist was alloved to change the structure make the structure carry what obviously have a lot of quality. This shop front proberly, hopefully, was not "solid wood" but made with the technikes you use today (not that these are my top favorite but) anyway reflecting great skills that seem quite under estimated, quite misunderstood, but don't this just tell somthing about the arogance that allow cold glass and steel rigidworks and dismiss true understanding genuine skills and yet another "different " aproach.
Gaudi's works seem rather as a "language" than enginering ,nevertheless no one seem to question the quality of boring english shop fronts ,broken dirty display's is allright but a tiny bit of heaven will never survive in english streets unless you reconise what this realy is.
Gaudi used the technikes avaible but there was a limit for what you could achive with stones and cement , a limit that deal with the technikes and materials ----- even if they back then could have used today's CAD options ,I wonder if that would have brought anything ,except better calculations and better accounts. the limits you can't emagine only show with tomorows tools, with Gaudi we se the outmost options with the materials and technikes of those day's ,this shop front proberly is epoxy and wood veneer that's just one of today's new tools but tight with a form language that ask great skills.
Now I will not say the bad things I could say, as I think thet the more beautifull things in english streets the better.

A small plagiarism to bring some joy and controversy to what seems to be a dull streetscape (judging only by the pictures available) is homage of sorts. It’s at least a tip of the hat anyway.

I agree with Mr. Corell that Gaudi's ability to shape, react, and defy while collaborating in the building process was a huge accomplishment for his time. He was certainly at the forefront of busting out of the canons which weighed so heavily on architects. This shop owners act of defiance (and apparent strategy to test the age old adage “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission”) makes for a good argument started in a community like that.

I say good luck to this shop owner.