About the project
This family home and office on the banks of Lake Geneva, with architecture by SAOTA and interiors by ARRCC, was designed for a Senegalese businessman based in Switzerland. The home draws on the owner’s heritage to advance an emerging African‐inspired aesthetic in its sculptural form, materiality and textural quality. The triangular shape of the dramatically located lakeside site, in addition to strict planning parameters and prohibitions, imposed considerable restrictions on the design. The response was to carve architectural forms and to a ‘reductive’ sculptural design of round‐edged cubes and triangular masses.
The interiors feature walnut joinery, marble and travertine floors, and light granite wall cladding with stainless steel detail insets. Externally dark zinc cladding covers the sculptural forms with textured granite used on feature wall and the floors. A double-volume living area, with a curved glass wall façade facing the lake, flows into the dining area and kitchen on the ground floor, while the bedrooms and en-suites are located on the top level. Furniture with organic and rounded shapes were selected to accommodate the irregular shape of the main living spaces, with the living room divided into two zones, a formal and informal area, both centred around the feature fireplace – a suspended black flue and fire dish secured to the floor.
A spiral staircase and a glass-cylinder encased elevator both lead to the bedrooms upstairs. A yellow-coloured Caesarstone slab for the floor, vanity and mirror wall form a striking finish in the children’s bathroom. The bath alcove walls are clad in sheets of brushed stainless steel, contrasting with the polished chrome finishes of the heated towel rails and bathroom chromeware.
