Chalet Ariasana, a chalet rental in Vals, Switzerland

Shou Sugi Ban against an Alpine Backdrop

Charred matte ebony across its rugged timbered façade, this Swiss chalet shows off the Japanese shou sugi ban method of waterproofing wood. A remodeled 1950s-era mountain refuge, the chalet moves from dark and mysterious on the outside to serene and bright within, a mountain perch where French grey walls, straight, clean-lined furnishings, and oversized photo art set it apart.

Japanese architectural ingenuity meets sophisticated country home styling at this 1950s-era Swiss chalet in the sought-after thermal station of Vals. The mountain getaway received a complete makeover at the hands of architect Reidun Grand, with architect and designer Charles Job and Manuela Peng Job as clients and owners. The new look retains its original floorplan, but celebrates its location via new outdoor spaces overlooking the village, valley, and the Alpine-jagged horizon.

The upper rooms benefit from floor-to-ceiling windows and a generous wraparound balcony, and the lower level offers a studio space with sleeping that abuts the patio garden. Cool and chic, interiors envelop you in a serene grey-with-a-touch-of-sage palette and trim wood paneling and molding. The painted wood plank ceilings give the brand new space a neatly tailored New England country home feeling, and traditional Valser furniture, combined with classic design pieces and artworks, add to the well-heeled style. Vivid photos, the work of Tina Winkhaus from Berlin and Istvan Balogh from Switzerland, punch up the classic ambiance with a distinctively modern, cool art-house touch.

Read an interview with the owners in our POV magazine here, and read about chef Eléonore Toulin's visit to the chalet here.

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Located in the Alpine valley village of Vals, home of architect Peter Zumthor’s much celebrated Therme Vals spa, this vacation home rental in Switzerland offers a serene and distinctively refined base from which to explore the rugged mountain region and spa. Zumthor’s famed Therme Vals was heralded for its design incorporating more than 60,000 slabs of local quartzite, and the resort was awarded heritage status shortly after its completion in 1996.

Hiking trails (the Big Walser Trail) and ski pistes (some 25 kilometers of slopes) are abundant in and around Vals, and the steeps surrounding the valley are uniquely pastoral, quilted by family farms that have been in operation for generations. Farm-to-table, organic and biodynamic agricultural practices are the norm in the area, and restaurants range from the multi-starred to delightfully rugged—mountain refuges offering hearty Alpine fare.

The town of Vals still offers guests a glimpse of traditional Switzerland, where original Walser houses clad in quartzite stand surrounded by rugged outcroppings and soaring peaks. Water is what put Vals on the map. The dramatic valley was cut by millions of years of rushing ice and snow melt and driving rains, so it’s little wonder that it’s become a destination to explore both thermal baths and scenic lakes such as nearby Ampervreila, Selva, and Guraletsch. An offbeat experience in the region is crystal hunting. The valley is recognized as a location with considerable mineral deposits, and local guides lead searches for the stones.