Bold Use of Colour

Vivid Colours

At the edge of the village of Gösch­weiler in the Black Forest, the schel­lisvier sits nestled within a spa­cious garden sur­rounded by mature trees.

This his­to­rical farm­house dating from around 1650 was res­tored with respect for its ori­ginal structure, using local wood and natural stone to modernise its design. Each of the five holiday apart­ments embraces the house’s tra­di­tional layout: the “Stube” fea­tures a bright green tiled stove and extends across two levels, while the “Stall” with its exposed wooden beams and old masonry exudes warmth and cosiness. Immersed in light, the “Schopf” and the “Tenne” open up to the out­doors, and the loft-style “Heu­stock” delights with an open sleeping gallery. Each apartment has a terrace and access to the garden. The sus­tainable concept com­bines tra­dition with modern aes­thetics – demons­t­rating a fine feel for playing with colours.

Soft Pink and Canary Yellow

With its distinctive façade, Ca la Carolina, located in the hin­terland of Spain’s rugged coastline, catches the eye from afar.

The tra­di­tional 18th-century stone house glows in soft pink and vibrant yellow, creating a striking con­trast with the his­to­rical buil­dings of the small village. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the tiled façade on the upper floor allow sun­light to flood the living space, and the white­washed brickwork gives the interior a bright, airy feel. While the bed­rooms for up to six guests are situated on the north side, the kitchen and living area open up to south-facing outdoor spaces, offering views across the vineyards and olive groves of Cata­lonia.

Wrapped in Blue

With its unusual cladding, the former fire station Feuer & Flamme catches the eye from afar.

The ori­ginal pitched roof was replaced by two striking black bonnets, the blue structure of which alludes to the half-tim­bering typical of the region and con­trasts with the natural stone-masonry. The light-flooded inte­riors are designed with great attention to detail: com­for­table leather sofas, red tables and mobile cooking sta­tions allow for fle­xible use, while a large, custom-made piece of fur­niture and the sky­lights evoke the building’s history. Wooden sur­faces and fix­tures inspired by Japanese colour woodcuts add a cosy feel. The balcony on the top floor offers stunning views over the river land­scape of the Saale Valley.

Colours in Glass

The archi­tecture of the Klare Kante holiday home on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom is defined by clean lines and an open-plan layout.

Situated on the forest’s edge, the house opens up towards the sur­rounding greenery with tow loggias, blending indoor and outdoor spaces. The living area with a fire­place extends over one half of the house, while the kitchen, bathroom and two bed­rooms occupy the other. Every room has direct access to the garden, and window shutters made from coloured glass add striking accents. The house is a won­derful place to relax, and what’s best: it is just a ten-minute walk from the Baltic Sea and Ach­ter­wasser – ideal for a spon­ta­neous swim or a moonlit stroll along the shore.

A Tribute to the 1970s

Designed by Alberto Salvati and Ambrogio Tre­soldi in 1972, Casa Salvati sits on the western shore of Lake Garda as part of a holiday home ensemble.

Sur­rounded by cypress, pine and olive trees, the white cube wel­comes guests with a vibrant yellow staircase and a blue, cube-shaped balcony that pro­jects from the façade. Inside, blue tiles laid on the floors and walls in two dif­ferent pat­terns lend the house its unique charm. The open layout creates a spa­cious ambiance: the living area spans both levels, and the gallery ups­tairs leads to three bed­rooms accom­mo­dating up to five guests. Ever­y­thing here is pre­served in its ori­ginal 1970s con­dition, from floors and windows to the kitchen, bath­rooms, built-in units and fur­nis­hings – a true homage to 1970s (interior) archi­tecture.

Bauhaus Style

Located in Brno, Czech Republic, Hotel Avion is a striking example of 1920s func­tion­alist archi­tecture.

Built in 1928 by architect Bohuslav Fuchs on a plot only eight metres wide, the ten-storey building fits in seam­lessly with its sur­rounding urban context. The listed hotel has been com­pletely refur­bished, retaining ori­ginal details such as the sash windows and fur­nis­hings – the 37 rooms still evoke the charm of the interwar years. Colourful walls, floors and fur­niture add vibrant accents in all rooms as well as in the restaurant, museum and café areas, while the terrace on the top floor offers pan­o­ramic views of the city. For archi­tecture enthu­siasts: nearby sites include Villa Tugendhat by Mies van der Rohe and addi­tional works by Fuchs, which are defi­nitely worth a visit.

Deep Black Outside, Sage Green Inside

Over­looking the Grisons mountain village of Vals, the Ariasana holiday home blends modern design with tra­di­tional charm.

The façade is finished in a deep black colour; the beams – charred using the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban tech­nique – lend the house a unique aes­thetic. This con­trasts with the soft colours used inside: the wooden panelling, tiles and fix­tures in Vic­torian-era French Grey com­plement the natural wooden floors and clay-ren­dered walls. The upper floor houses the kitchen, dining and living rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows affording views of the church spire and Peter Zumthor’s thermal baths. There are two bed­rooms and a library at the rear of the house, com­ple­mented by an addi­tional bedroom down­s­tairs. Vintage farm­house fur­niture and design classics add ele­gance and authen­ticity.

Red Tiled Façade

In the midst of ancient olive, fig and lemon trees, architect Che­rubino Gam­bar­della has breathed new life into a building ruin above the Gulf of Gaeta: Casa Capriccio Alto show­cases a bold and modern take on Medi­ter­ranean archi­tecture

Rising from a base of red tiles, the white main building fea­tures a rooftop designed as a sun terrace with a pool. Inside, colourful ele­ments con­trast with exposed con­crete struc­tures, with the colour scheme ranging from lime and olive to lemon shades, while bright red domi­nates the exterior. Sand-coloured ter­razzo floors and white walls create an airy ambience that cul­mi­nates on the rooftop terrace, com­plete with three semi-cir­cular per­golas and spec­ta­cular views as far as the Tyr­rhenian Sea.

Bold Yellow Details

In the Sou­thern Black Forest, the Bleibe Men­zen­schwand com­bines modern timber con­s­truction with tra­di­tional details and vivid colours.

Set atop a tiered con­crete slab, the roof that is rotated through 45 degrees and extends down at the sides recalls the shel­tering roof designs of classic Black Forest houses. The ent­rance door and window frames in bright yellow provide lively colour accents, while shades of pink and green dominate the interior. With six levels, large pan­o­ramic windows and a balcony, the holiday home affords expansive views of the sur­rounding land­scape. The flowing sequence of rooms and the archi­tects’ cus­to­mised, har­mo­nious interior design create a generous, inviting sense of space with plenty of light and indi­vi­duality.

Clean Lines and Colours

The Para­mount Alma above Sexten bring modern alpine archi­tecture to the Dolo­mites, com­bining clean lines and colours with bold geo­metry.

Part of the building is embedded in the steep hillside, while the main structure seems to float above the parking level. Larch wood slats wrap around the exterior and extend into the ent­rance area as ceiling panelling. Large windows open up the apart­ments to the outside – the bright inte­riors fea­turing red, green and grey shades are cha­rac­te­rised by inno­vative layouts, stream­lined design and natural mate­rials. The spa­cious bal­conies offer sweeping views of the sur­rounding moun­tains. An under­ground passage con­nects the building to Hotel Rainer, where guests can enjoy addi­tional amen­ities.

Text / Com­pi­lation: Tina Barankay & Anne-Birga Niepelt

Photos: © Boo Yeah, Tuulikki Jäger (Cover picture: Casa Capriccio Alto), © Bernhard Strauss Foto­grafie (schel­lisvier), © Pol Vil­adoms (Ca la Carolina), © Iona Dutz (Feuer & Flamme), © Svenja Bockhop (Klare Kante), © Simone u. Ulrich Grau (Casa Salvati), © Sta­nislav Berousek (Avion Hotel), © Martin Hemmi (Ariasana), © Boo Yeah, Tuulikki Jäger (Casa Capriccio Alto), © Mat­thias Schmid (Bleibe Men­zen­schwand), Andrea Zanchi Pho­to­graphy (Para­mount Alma)