Mountain Exposure's Heinz Julen Loft, Zermatt
For our extravagant weekend in the Swiss Alps (W*141, out now), we needed an aptly indulgent setting, which came courtesy of ski accommodation specialist Mountain Exposure. The Heinz Julen loft in Zermatt - once the private home of the eponymous architect, fabled for his sumptuous parties – mixes New York loft-style glamour with the village’s traditional wooden architecture, to dramatic effect.
A double-height living area with floor-to-ceiling windows maximises the spectacular views over the slopes and village. Inside, there are concrete floors, warm wooden textures and Julen-designed furniture, including a luminescent, floating table, suspended from the ceiling, which makes a striking centrepiece. This can be lowered or raised according to your wishes.
The chalet, which sleeps six people in three spacious bedrooms, is currently available for bookings and is one of a fleet of stylish properties owned by Mountain Exposure in Zermatt. Also in its portfolio is another Julen-designed property, the beautiful, wooden Heinz Julen Penthouse, as well as further catered (under the Michelin-starred guidance of Gerry Kirwan), and self-catered chalets around the village.
Conceived by passionate skiers and snowboarders, Hugh Marcelin-Rice and Donald Scott, Mountain Exposure was established with a vision to combine the magic of Zermatt with high quality personal service; a promise well kept. Now it has over 64 luxury beds on offer, as well as around forty further for the busy ski season, all carefully supervised by the company’s interior designers, Cassie Westbrooke and co-founder, Scott.
‘Our vision for the design of our properties is to provide the ultimate experience for any given interior concept. So, be it traditional cosy chalet, post-modern Alpine deconstruction; city-Alpine fusion, designer or antique, or combination of the two, Mountain Exposure can suit every type of taste’, says Scott.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson drafts artists to create 24 extraordinary lamps at Milan Design Week 2024
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson commissioned international artists and artisans to explore ‘illumination within the house’ with a series of lamps and lighting installations, shown at a group exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
What are polynucleotides? Trying the skin injectable made from salmon sperm
Polynucleotides are the latest in skin injectables, containing DNA derived from the gonads of salmon. Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming Editor Hannah Tindle tries them to discover exactly how they work
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Josèfa Ntjam on her surreal utopias in Venice
Artist Josèfa Ntjam and LAS Art Foundation bring other worlds to life with ‘swell of spæc(i)es’ at Palazzina Canonica during the Venice Biennale 2024
By Hannah Silver Published