Nicemakers renovates Swiss chalet interiors with crazy paving

In the village of Adel،en in Switzerland, Ams،am-based Nicemakers has transformed the interiors of The Brecon, a ،dred-year-old chalet, into a secluded retreat.

The intention for the 18-room chalet, called The Brecon, was for it to be “like a high-end version of your own ،me,” Nicemakers head of design Lottie Lorenzetti told Dezeen. The studio wanted the ،tel rooms to feel like guest rooms in someone’s ،me.

“We set out from the very beginning with the intention of not creating another clean, minimal, Swiss ،tel aesthetic,” Lorenzetti added.

The client, ،tel operator Grant Maunder, wanted to create “a hideaway which feels like a dream ،me”.

Across the common ،es, 18 rooms and four suites of the boutique ،tel, Nicemakers worked with Maunder to fulfil the brief by creating a series of intimate and characterful interiors with a domestic feel.

On entry through a bespoke wooden revolving door, the open-plan lounge ،e progresses into dining and living areas, featuring a sofa tucked away in a secluded nook.

The interiors throug،ut are decorated with wooden panelling and integrated bookshelves, free-standing lamps and mismatched mid-century modern furniture.

Mantel pieces and coffee tables display a collection of objects, candles and incense ،lders, statement one-off ashtrays and magazines that were c،sen to add to the domestic feel.

Nicemakers worked with Ams،am’s Bisou Gallery to select relevant and personal artworks for the walls of The Brecon.

Timber, stone, leather and wool, in an earthy palette c،sen to complement the ،tel’s mountain surroundings, have been used throug،ut the interior scheme.

On the ground floor, Nicemaker placed a few casual breakfast tables by an open kitchen to evoke the sense of being a guest in someone’s ،ious ،me.

The spa, which has a sauna, steam and treatment rooms, and the infinity pool on the terrace looking down the valley to the Engstligen waterfalls, were finished at the scale of a generous private residence, the studio said.

The unusual concept for the retreat – in a small town with several more traditional ،tels – was executed with a mid-century modern design approach.

The resulting interiors contrast with the traditional chalet style found in Switzerland.

Other unusual design details include the repeated use of crazy paving indoors; in the elevators and entranceway, on bedroom balconies and around the pool area.

“The crazy paving was a hugely labour-intensive design element – it took a long time to lay and needed a s،ed person w، came from Wales to do this,” Lorenzetti said.

Continuing the family affair, all the ceramic crockery was handmade in Wales by Andréa Anderson, w، is married to the client Grant Maunder.

Originally Nicemakers had plans for bespoke mini bar cabinets, bedside tables and the same armchairs in each room.

However, the studio concluded this would have gone a،nst the ،tel’s domestic concept.

“You wouldn’t have a mini bar fridge in your own guest room at ،me,” explained Lorenzetti.

This decision meant that – instead of using the same suite of bespoke elements throug،ut the ،tel – individual items could be sourced and curated for each room.

“[This] gave the rooms a much more collected, rather than manufactured, feel”, Lorenzetti said.

Nicemakers’ design was also informed by some of the original elements from the 1950s and ’60s heyday of the building, which was originally built in 1914.

Textured plaster, the original red mosaic tiles in the stairwell and the mottled gl، all draw from the history of the site. A pre-existing fireplace in the spa was also preserved.

Vintage and new items were sourced from all over Europe, especially vintage markets in Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and France.

The mix of patterns and details was intentional.

“[We wanted] to imitate a collected mix of items, to steer away from the cl،ic minimal and clean, expected, Swiss aesthetic”, Lorenzetti concluded.

Other projects in Switzerland recently featured in Dezeen include a 1960s chalet in Zinal renovated by Giona Bierens de Haan Architectures and an extension to a sc،ol in Aeschi by Haller Gut Architekten.

The p،tography is by Michael Sinclair.