Today one of our favorite architects of all times: Peter Zumthor, who, together with Vincent van Duysen is the reason why I decided to change my career path and change Psychology for Interior Design… and it might also take me to finally study architecture.
South of Devon County Living Architecture invited one of the world’s most revered architects, Peter Zumthor, to build a “secular retreat.” Surrounded by a scenic landscape garden at the top of a hill, Secular Retreat hides among Monterey Pines.
Only when the newcomers approach the door are they able to recognize the full extent of this extraordinary house-entering from underneath an enormous white concrete cantilever, a material that runs through the entire façade and the interior in all its nudity, as Zumthor conceived for his acclaimed Termas de Vals.
The protagonist once inside is the view through the fully glazed walls; the rammed concrete walls, limestone floors, were designed in a bespoke pattern tailored precisely to suit every slab’s dimensions that came from the quarry.
As with all Zumthor projects, this dwelling combines the incredible presence of materials and the impressive mastery of space, light, and shade.
