Frutt Family Lodge — Melchsee-Frutt, Switzerland
The combination of the words ‘family lodge’ and ‘Switzerland’ is apt to produce a certain impression of dowdiness. All the more reason to applaud the Zurich-based architect Philip Loskant for his work on this sleek 47-room hotel (with a further wing of 43 private apartments) in the tiny Swiss village of Melchsee-Frutt.
At this height, nearly 2000m above sea-level on a remote peak that, in winter, is accessible only by a small cable car, the air is sharply crystalline – a word that, incidentally, perfectly describes the Frutt’s complex of four monolithic concrete and timber cubes that Loskant describes as an ‘optimistic statement of how architecture and nature can become a fantastic whole’.
The exteriors, clad in glass, natural stone and concrete, give way to an interior lined with Swiss oak. At this height, the views of the Alps, especially from the bay windows in the bedrooms, are literally, breathtaking.
That said, the spa – swathed in stone quarried from Valle Onsernone and inserted into an underground cavern of polygonal chambers and saunas capped by a skylight – provides an unexpected relief.
Meanwhile, a cinema, mini-bowling alley, wine bar, and restaurant alongside the usual suite of snow activities hold at bay any sensation of isolation.
ADDRESS
Untere Frutt
6068 Melchsee-Frutt
Switzerland
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
A new book highlights the work of Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu
‘Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu: Luxury Redefined’, published by Rizzoli, traces the career of leading Istanbul-based designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, the first woman to design a mosque in Turkey
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
London gallery Incubator’s six emerging artists to see in spring 2024
Incubator's spring programme features six artists in consecutive two-week solo shows at the London, Chiltern Street gallery
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Blue Copper Loft is a Dubai sanctuary for a modern nomad
Blue Copper Loft designed by Anarchitect in the heart of Dubai is a peaceful, yet luxurious sanctuary for a modern nomad
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
10 colourful hotels to inspire your 2024 escapes
10 colourful hotels to discover in 2024, from dream-like mountain retreats to design-led city escapes, selected by Wallpaper* travel editor Sofia de la Cruz
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Locke introduces Locke am Platz, a design-led city escape in Zürich
At aparthotel Locke am Platz, elegant Riviera style meets layered modernism
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Hotel Grace La Margna St Moritz reopens as the perfect luxury Alpine retreat
Hotel Grace La Margna St Moritz returns after an intensive renovation by Divercity Architects and interior designer Carole Topin
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Hotel Drei Berge brings a touch of elevation to the Swiss mountains
The historic mountaintop Hotel Drei Berge has been reinvigorated under the creative eye of Ramdane Touhami as a dream-like retreat that blurs past and present
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Discover Swiss bliss in St Moritz, the chicest of Alpine escapes
In St Moritz, ski chic meets creative cachet. Here’s our pick of the perennial pleasure centre’s cultural attractions
By Jessica Klingelfuss Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
The Zurich List: art, culture, design and architecture in Mitteleuropa’s most handsome city
By Simon Mills Last updated
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu Last updated