Villa for sale - 9450 Altstätten SG

Hans Schmid translated Frank Lloyd Wright into Swiss German

The idea for the unconventional space work in Altstätten SG came from Frank Lloyd Wright's innovative hexagonal buildings. Works like the Hanna House or the Stuart Richardson House from 1951 were important turning points in Wright's career. Architect Hans Schmid does not hide his source of inspiration: Like his role model, the House Hexagon in the lower St. Gallen Rhine Valley is based on a hexagonal system: No more dominance of the right angle.

Tendency towards the overall work

Hans Schmid has designed the interior and furniture and handed over the house to the client ready for occupancy: built-in desks, integrated sofas, tables, beds, sideboards, dressers, cabinets, sauna, wine cellar. The armchairs are hardly distinguishable from Wright originals. Details like the triangular recessed lights are taken 1:1. Frank is omnipresent. With the exception of the double-shell clinker and wooden fittings, the material language in the House Hexagon is fully 1980s postmodern: white marble, red granite, hexagonal Bisazza ceramics in the sanitary rooms, gilded railings and mirrors with Art Deco ornaments.

Construction quality and condition

Optimal The client was quality-oriented, nothing was spared: Schmid has given the House Hexagon the Swiss finish. The envelope is tight thanks to good insulation: double-shell brick walls with generous insulation layer in between, oversized roof insulation, triple glazing. The condition and maintenance of the 40-year-old building and its interior are astonishing: wear and tear is hardly noticeable.

Location

Altstätten combines rural and urban advantages with a strong economy. The lively old town with its magnificent buildings and leafy walkways is a testament to the economic bloom of the 18th century. Altstätten is closely linked nationally and internationally: 30 minutes by car to St. Gallen, Bregenz, Liechtenstein, and Altenrhein Airport. Just over 60 minutes to Chur, Laax/Flims, Lenzerheide, and Davos/Klosters. 90 minutes to Zurich. The three wings of the two-story villa skillfully distribute the volumes of the house vertically and horizontally on the sunny slope above Altstätten: integration successful. Where the sloping roofs meet, the living hall is situated.

Farewell to the right angle: House Hexagon Six Spatial Spheres

1. GROUND FLOOR LIVING SPACE Receiving, Relaxing, Reading and Watching, Meeting People

The living hall extends to the roof and includes the three interconnecting spheres of reception, living with original Wright armchairs and integrated sofas. Three steps down: the fire room with built-in seating area.

2. GROUND FLOOR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING Cooking, Preparing, Eating

The three interconnecting honeycombs house the cold kitchen, the main kitchen with integrated dining area, and the fine dining area with built-in sideboard and access to the large terrace with dining area. Predicate: Heart of the house! All dining tables: hexagonal, what else.

3. GROUND FLOOR RECREATION Sleeping, Dressing, Bathing

East wing: Two beautiful bedrooms, one with a balcony facing southeast, a shared dressing room, large marble bathroom.

4. GALLERY Desk Work, Gallery Lounge

In the entrance area, a floating staircase leads to the gallery under the roof vault. An office area and an intimate club lounge, which is grouped around the second fireplace, serve as a retreat.

5. GARDEN FLOOR Children, Guests

Two charming rooms with bathroom, access to the garden terrace. Another kitchen that could transform the garden floor into a guest apartment.

6. GARDEN FLOOR Wine & Wellness

Spacious strength and fitness room with sauna and large shower room for three. Air-conditioned wine cellar with tasting room. Access to the large outdoor terrace and the garden, which transitions into the meadow slope.

GROUND FLOOR GARAGE for 2 – 3 cars, access to the house, 1 parking space, several outdoor spaces

Our Opinion

Driving from Trogen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, to the House Hexagon, it clicks. The hilly farmland with typical farms at the back, the panorama of the Rhine plain with the Vorarlberg Alps on the south side of the house: The location also convinces non-East Swiss. To the opening at the Kunsthaus Bregenz by architect Peter Zumthor. To Liechtenstein, St. Gallen, Chur, Zurich for business. To Flims, Laax, Davos for skiing. To Appenzell and the Bregenzerwald for relaxation: Altstätten in the lower Rhine valley combined with Vorarlberg is an attractive and dynamic space.

A house for architecture-loving bon vivants

The House Hexagon, its setting, its spatial spheres convince immediately upon entering. The logically arranged sequences of rooms make the transition between different activities a pleasure. Good size: The house is generous but not too large. The family with two children feels just as comfortable as the couple. Emotionally and rationally, the house offers the perfectly organized stage for a good life in expressive – and still innovative spaces. Chefs and gourmets will appreciate the infrastructure.

Interior Materialization

The interior of the house is only partially Frank Lloyd Wright-like: Wright's anthroposophically influenced 'Natural Design' with a lot of wood, brick, handcrafted clay tile floors can be found in the House Hexagon to some extent. The bold Eighties with Italian marble down to the enclosures for the B&O speakers set the tone. In return, well-crafted built-ins like the kitchens, beds, desks, cabinets, and furniture fittings are timeless, the beams of the roof structure are visible, and the bricks of the interior walls are partially visible.

Update desired?

Anyone who wishes for a more contemporary and natural interior design can transform the house into the present with manageable means. The wooden fittings give the generous and homely character of this house and should possibly remain and be reupholstered or painted. For interior consulting, please contact Poeticwalls.