The Brecon raises the bar for contemporary chalet chic
Designed by Amsterdam studio Nicemakers, The Brecon sports a contemporary Swiss chalet aesthetic with midcentury echoes
In Swiss resort towns such as St. Moritz or Gstaad, a common observation during high season is that the slopes can feel like a high-octane fashion show. But in Adelboden, a quiet ski town in the Bernese Alps, roughly two hours from Zurich, the only parading is done in late June, when local farmers festoon their dairy cows with floral headdresses and globe-sized bells to trot them down the main street and up a winding path to the alpine meadows where they will graze until the season’s end.
The Brecon
That said, Adelboden still has a firm grip on luxury, thanks to the recently opened The Brecon: a hotel founded by the Wales-born Grant Maunder who has been visiting the region for over 40 years and who also owns the neighbouring Cambrian Hotel. The work of Amsterdam-based firm Nicemakers, The Brecon’s design leans into a contemporary chalet aesthetic in the communal areas with warm wood wall panelling, flagstone floors hand-fitted by an artisan flown in from Wales and the classic wooden Swiss dining chairs from the hotel’s previous occupant, refinished and upholstered in mottled purple boucle fabric.
Each of the 18 rooms and four suites are subtly different, ranging in size from compact doubles to a duplex two-bedroom loft suite. The top floor ‘Village’ suite, for instance, encompasses an expansive balcony and a sitting area complete with a plush Vitra sofa, a fireplace and a small writing desk that looks onto a panoramic view of the sublime Bernese Alps across the valley.
The Brecon has cleverly positioned itself as a year-round destination. In the summer, guests can explore the region’s vast network of hiking trails or swim in the nearby glacial lakes. In the winter, skiing is the main priority: Adelboden boasts an impressive number of runs accessible from several gondolas originating from the village.
After a day on the slopes, a spa offering that includes massages and reflexology, as well as a sauna, steam room and heated outdoor pool, is available for mountain-weary legs. All meals and drinks are included in the room rate, which means an à la carte breakfast, a light lunch and a Swiss-inspired dinner, the concise menu for which changes daily, and includes dishes like wild mushroom risotto, rigatoni with tomato and mint, and an array of local cheeses, many produced by the surrounding dairy farms’ marching cows.
Find The Brecon at Dorfstrasse 88, 3715 Adelboden, Switzerland, thebrecon.com
This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from 5 September on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Laura May Todd, Wallpaper's Milan Editor, based in the city, is a Canadian-born journalist covering design, architecture and style. She regularly contributes to a range of international publications, including T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Azure and Sight Unseen, and is about to publish a book on Italian interiors.
-
Gardens & Villas offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert living in California
Gardens & Villas, a home in Las Quintas, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Daniel Obasi discusses Lagos’ Amah members’ club, where vocation and wonder can meet
Amah, a new members’ club founded by photographer, art director and stylist Daniel Obasi, is a creative co-working space and meeting point for Lagos’ creative class
By Mazzi Odu Published
-
A closer look at Loewe’s delirious, erotically-charged collaboration with artist Richard Hawkins
‘Modern life has become a collage,’ said Jonathan Anderson after his A/W 2024 menswear show, which featured Los Angeles-based artist Richard Hawkins’ collages across sweaters and bags
By Jack Moss Published
-
Five Swiss hotels for design lovers
Inspiring stays for your next trip, these Swiss hotels will appeal to design and culture fans
By Simon Mills 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
-
The Zurich List: art, culture, design and architecture in Mitteleuropa’s most handsome city
By Simon Mills Last updated
-
The Japanese by Chedi Andermatt — Andermatt, Switzerland
By Daven Wu Last updated