The Villa Vals

Designed by Bjarne Mastenbroek and Christian Müller of SeARCH and CMA, the Villa Vals is masterfully built into the mountainside of the Swiss Alps at the end of the Valsertal Valley. The villa is built near the famous Therme Vals of Peter Zumthor and on the edge of a small Swiss village.

The driving focus of the design was to create a living space that neither intruded on nor distracted from the surrounding landscapes and scenic views. Completed in 2009 and outfitted with an interior of Dutch design and style, the Villa Vals is truly a beautiful and unique approach to integrated design and environmental consciousness.

I was pretty taken aback when I first came across pictures of this villa. The beautiful home with its mix of rustic, modern, and natural styling and materials looks like something out of a classic children’s story. I could easily imagine this house to be the home of Mrs. Frisby or Mr. Fox. All it needs is wall decorations made out of buttons, furniture built from thimbles, and a cupboard full of grain and berries, and this home would make real the daydreams of my childhood.

Photographed by Iwan Baan

I was a little disappointed to find that the villa is not “as one with nature” as it may first appear; built among several hotels and villas, the villa is not the romanticized natural experience that sprang into my mind. Nonetheless (seriously, nonetheless, who could really complain about such a beautiful building and the sprawling mountainsides that surround it), the Villa Vals is one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen.

For more details and pictures of the interior, visit  VillaVals.ch, House-Inside-a-Hill and Iwan Baan’s Page.

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