EFH Appenzell

enlighten the past, present and future

The Appenzell-house has been family-owned for many generations. With the conversion of the wooden house, which is manufactured according to traditional matured timber construction method, the historical inventory should be extended with a modern annex. It was extremely important to the client that the historic elements of the matured timber walls are largely preserved and integrated into the conversion. The history of the house should be preserved with the historical components and live on for the next generations.

The combination of tradition and modernity was also the basis for the lighting concept. All luminaires that serve for the basic lighting are optimally integrated into the wood structure. The arrangement of the lamps was carefully chosen so that the wood structure of the matured timber walls with the special patina of the past years, come into their own. The former stable has been replaced by a new building and now houses a spacious living and dining area with panoramic views of the Appenzell mountains. The original house now accommodates several bedrooms and an home office space. The staircase is the connecting element of the two building halves. It serves as an entrance area and access area to all levels of the house. It is also characterized by its particular ceiling height, which is set with decorative pendant lamps by George Nelson. The average room height in Appenzell-houses is around 1.8m. Therefore, indirect light is used to optimize the appearance and atmosphere of the rooms.

less is more

When illuminating the central flight of stairs, a solution was sought in close coordination with the architects, that can be integrated into the laterally clamped steps. Thin LED-profile lights were fitted flush in the soffit of the steps. Thanks to slightly overlapping steps and an open construction, the staircase can be illuminated upwards to the upper floor, as well as down the stairs to the basement, with only one luminaire structure.

location: Bühler, Appenzell CH
realisation: 2019

photos: lightsphere