“Our Leis houses have big windows. They extend from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. They frame the landscape and welcome its images inside the house. [...] Walking through the house means moving from view to view. The presence of the solid timber is tangible everywhere, intimate and close to the body; gentle, silky and shiny, it radiates in the light.” (trans. Catherine Schelbert)
Few architects’ words can match the poetry of their designs, but Peter Zumthor’s description of his timber Leis houses is so delectable, it makes you want to hop a plane and go live in one yourself.
Well, now’s your chance. For the first time, Zumthor and his wife Annalisa are renting out one of the 3-year-old houses (originally designed and built for the pair themselves) as a vacation home.
Of course, it won’t come cheap. Prices range from CHF 3,500 to CHF 4,800 (about $4,000 to $5,000 USD) per week.
More info and images of the Leis homes, after the break...
From the Press Release: “For the very first time, Annalisa and Peter Zumthor are letting one of their timber houses as a vacation home.
The small hamlet of Leis, with its age-blackened wooden buildings, lies 1,500 m above sea level in the mountains above Vals, Graubünden. The white chapel in the middle of the village dates from the 17th century; next door is a small inn. In the summer, two local farming families tend the sun-drenched slopes; in the winter, the ski slope runs right down to the village.
Three years ago, Peter Zumthor built two timber houses, the Oberhus and the Unterhus, for himself and his wife Annalisa in the hamlet of Leis. This winter, the Unterhus will be let as a vacation home and will welcome its very first guests. A third timber house, the Türmlihus, is set to complete this little ensemble and will be available to rent from late fall 2013.”
“Peter Zumthor has extended the traditional Strickbau (literally “knitted construction”) building technique to include new design principles that allowed the installation of large picture windows. Stretching from floor to ceiling, they frame the landscape that resembles wall paintings inside the houses”
Story via Zumthor Vacation Homes
