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Situated in the Swiss village of Erlenbach just south of Zurich is Two Verandas House, a private family residence designed by Gus Wüstemann. Photography: Bruno Helbling
Two Verandas House by Gus Wüstemann, Switzerland
Two Verandas House by Gus Wüstemann, Switzerland
The main house is connected to the pool house by a planted courtyard and a wide, shallow staircase, with unimpeded views to Lake Zurich
The barefaced concrete façade is kept private with few discernable openings to the outdoors
The house is accessed via an inconspicuous passageway
The exterior consists of a mix of materials such as stone, concrete, metal and wood
Furniture is part of the architecture of the house, designed to be low-slung, minimal and flexible
A rare room divider is replaced by an immense glass wall that disappears into the formed concrete structure
Mirrored walls create the illusion of space and light
Furniture was built in wherever possible, such as in this walk-in wardrobe
One bathroom is crafted in travertine with wood accents
Another bathroom opens to view of the hills
A narrow staircase from bedroom to living area was cannily located in the darkest part of the house, at the street entrance
A dining area with travertine floors and grainy wood accents opens to the first veranda. The ceiling arches gradually towards the back of the house, giving it a shark fin shape
The living and entertaining areas are lined with skylights
The open plan still allows for intimate reading nooks. The space in the background is cocooned in built-in wood shelves
The first veranda looks onto the pool house
The formed concrete structure interferes very little with the environment. On the first floor, the outer walls are kept low and wide
A glass-walled opening in the upper veranda is echoed on the floor below so that not even guardrails get in the way of the majestic views
The interiors are restrained to the point of ascetic, to give full attention to the outdoors
Frosted glass transports natural light to and from more private areas
A lower-ground floor hosts a gym, screening room and wine cellar
The kitchen is separated from the wine cellar by glass walls
Adorned with rough-hewn wood blocks, the cellar is the most decorative feature of the otherwise strictly minamlist house
Light gaps bringing in artificial and natural light are incorporated into the platforms and furnishings, which are themselves integrated into the structure of the house
The second veranda is at the level of the open pool house and decorated with similarly low, simple seating
The pool house is self-contained, with its own full kitchen
The structure of the pool house also serves as built-in seating when the family is entertaining
A lap pool wraps around one corner of the house
The house is illuminated in the evening by discrete lights placed along its base
The concrete takes on different textures with changes in light and weather