Situation
The village of Meride is located on Mount San Giorgio and overlooks vineyards and the plain below. The village center is included in the federal inventory of sites to be protected (ISOS). Mount San Giorgio (1,097 m.a.s.l.) is one of the world's most important sites for Middle Triassic marine fossils and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
The building now called “Mix House” was built in the 17th century within the historic core of Meride. The architecture of the building is of rural origin; the house is built around an inner courtyard that is accessed through a gateway facing the public street.
The house belonged to Mix Weiss (Swiss writer and journalist - 1924-2014) and was first renovated in the 1980s by architect Lorenzo Weiss, her son.
Benjamin Weiss, his grandson, oversaw this new renovation-restoration in 2024-25.
Project
The floral fresco on the ceiling of the room showed signs of detachment and was restored by consolidating, from above, the load-bearing layer; the pictorial decoration was also restored later.
The staircase above the Arzo marble fireplace in the living room had a nonstandard railing and was secured by building a new wall, flush with the existing masonry, transforming the staircase and fireplace into a single white volume.
The original colors (white walls and ceilings, blue window frames, white and blue tiles and blue color in the bathroom) were maintained and restored. The original floor in old marbled terracotta tiles was maintained and restored, with a protective treatment. The kitchen was modified with the installation of a new Arzo marble grit counter, made especially for this space. A new kitchen table was made with a large marble flower, inlaid into the grit countertop. The house houses sculptures by Petra Weiss. All curtain fabrics were specially made. The courtyard with the olive tree and outdoor living area has been paved with Arzo marble slabs and is surrounded by a new flower bed with herbs.
Team:
Architects: Enrico Sassi Architetto
Company: Sem Tree, Michael Pagani-Caduff
Plumber: Fieni Danilo e Figlio SA
Electrician: Domeksolutions SA, Paco Antognazzi
Painter: Fabrizio Chirivì
Fresco restoration: Cleo Panzeri
Gardener: Scarabelli & Fior Giardini
Marble slabs (supplied): Patriziato di Arzo
Marble, gravel (supplied): Stefano Piotti
Prefabricated concrete (kitchen and table): Gaffuri Giovanni & CO
Marble worker (kitchen and table): GeG SA, Alex Galli
Metal construction (table legs): Lang SA
Chimney sweep: Paolo Cadenazzi
Photography: Marcelo Villada Ortiz
Materials Used:
Fabrics: Studio Passenger, Flaka Jahaj
Sculptures: Petra Weiss
