Elisabeth Wampfler is an architect and partner at Jaggi Architecture in Gstaad, where her team handles projects from the first sketch through to construction. Elisabeth spoke to GstaadLife about creativity, collaboration and the extraordinary variety of work this region has to offer.

Elisabeth Wampfler is an architect and partner at Jaggi Architecture in Gstaad, where her team handles projects from the first sketch through to construction. Elisabeth spoke to GstaadLife about creativity, collaboration and the extraordinary variety of work this region has to offer.

At 94, Fiona Thyssen has lived several lives. A country child in wartime Britain. A top model in the early days of Vogue. An active figure in the international art world. Now enjoying quieter days in Pays-d’Enhaut, Fiona met with GstaadLife to talk fashion, adventure and the importance of taking ...

At 94, Fiona Thyssen has lived several lives. A country child in wartime Britain. A top model in the early days of Vogue. An active figure in the international art world. Now enjoying quieter days in Pays-d’Enhaut, Fiona met with GstaadLife to talk fashion, adventure and the importance of taking ...

Ralph Schelling has cooked for private clients, international brands and culinary events across the globe. Some readers may also recognise him from his regular visits to Gstaad, where he and his team are frequently engaged for private events in both summer and winter.

Ralph Schelling has cooked for private clients, international brands and culinary events across the globe. Some readers may also recognise him from his regular visits to Gstaad, where he and his team are frequently engaged for private events in both summer and winter.

Few buildings have left a greater mark on the appearance of Saanen than the Old Kastlanei. Standing near the former hospital, the house may appear at first glance to be simply another fine example of traditional Saanen architecture. Yet when it was built in 1670, it represented something entirely new. ...

Few buildings have left a greater mark on the appearance of Saanen than the Old Kastlanei. Standing near the former hospital, the house may appear at first glance to be simply another fine example of traditional Saanen architecture. Yet when it was built in 1670, it represented something entirely new. ...

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote that he travelled “not to go anywhere, but to go.” I have started to think he never lived somewhere like the Saanenland, where the world simply comes to you.

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote that he travelled “not to go anywhere, but to go.” I have started to think he never lived somewhere like the Saanenland, where the world simply comes to you.

In early March, the lodge Phönix im Orient von Thun opened its doors at Schloss Thun for a rare public information evening.

In early March, the lodge Phönix im Orient von Thun opened its doors at Schloss Thun for a rare public information evening.

Houses often outlive their inhabitants, especially the exquisitely constructed chalets of this region. Over time, a home may change hands or undergo transformations, yet it retains its original beams and preserves the stories of those who lived within its walls, sometimes across centuries. Between 1850 ...

Houses often outlive their inhabitants, especially the exquisitely constructed chalets of this region. Over time, a home may change hands or undergo transformations, yet it retains its original beams and preserves the stories of those who lived within its walls, sometimes across centuries. Between 1850 ...

Ceramicist Christine Baumgartner creates functional crockery and sculptural objects for sale in her shop alongside bespoke commissions for chalets and private clients. Her work follows a traditional, hands-on approach, with each piece made carefully from start to finish. Her ceramics offer a counterpoint ...

Ceramicist Christine Baumgartner creates functional crockery and sculptural objects for sale in her shop alongside bespoke commissions for chalets and private clients. Her work follows a traditional, hands-on approach, with each piece made carefully from start to finish. Her ceramics offer a counterpoint ...

At Patricia Low Contemporary, Mario Testino presented a Swiss selection, curated by Simon de Pury, from his ongoing project "A Beautiful World" – a series shaped by his desire for creative freedom after decades in fashion photography.

At Patricia Low Contemporary, Mario Testino presented a Swiss selection, curated by Simon de Pury, from his ongoing project "A Beautiful World" – a series shaped by his desire for creative freedom after decades in fashion photography.

Artisan Nathalie Hall Rosat is best known for her trompe l’oeil work, transforming flat, modern surfaces into convincing illusions of wood, structure and depth. Trained at the Van der Kelen school in Belgium, she has worked internationally on interiors, decorative objects and architectural elements. ...

Artisan Nathalie Hall Rosat is best known for her trompe l’oeil work, transforming flat, modern surfaces into convincing illusions of wood, structure and depth. Trained at the Van der Kelen school in Belgium, she has worked internationally on interiors, decorative objects and architectural elements. ...

At the Grand Chalet in Rossinière, no one ever checked the guest list too closely – because some of the best guests had four legs, fur, or feathers. Pets and people alike found a home away from home at the Grand Chalet, where eccentricity was not merely tolerated but positively encoura ...

At the Grand Chalet in Rossinière, no one ever checked the guest list too closely – because some of the best guests had four legs, fur, or feathers. Pets and people alike found a home away from home at the Grand Chalet, where eccentricity was not merely tolerated but positively encoura ...

Colin Karlen has worked with traditional tavillon shingles since 1994. His family business covers construction, carpentry, interior fittings, furniture making and renovation, yet one of its most distinctive specialities remains this centuries old roofing technique. GstaadLife spoke with him about the ...

Colin Karlen has worked with traditional tavillon shingles since 1994. His family business covers construction, carpentry, interior fittings, furniture making and renovation, yet one of its most distinctive specialities remains this centuries old roofing technique. GstaadLife spoke with him about the ...

How a fictional housewife became Switzerland’s most famous cook

How a fictional housewife became Switzerland’s most famous cook

Some buildings collect history; the Grand Chalet in Rossinière seems to inhale it. Standing at the heart of the village like an immense wooden cathedral, this vast and storied house has long fascinated visitors with its carved façade, improbable scale, and unmistakable aura of lived-in ...

Some buildings collect history; the Grand Chalet in Rossinière seems to inhale it. Standing at the heart of the village like an immense wooden cathedral, this vast and storied house has long fascinated visitors with its carved façade, improbable scale, and unmistakable aura of lived-in ...

In 1985, Christo and Jeanne-Claude transformed Paris’s Pont Neuf, draping its arches in 40,000 m² of luminous golden fabric—crafted by 300 workers and funded entirely by sales of their own preparatory works. The diptych Le Pont Neuf, Projet pour Paris distils this ephemeral spectacle, ...

In 1985, Christo and Jeanne-Claude transformed Paris’s Pont Neuf, draping its arches in 40,000 m² of luminous golden fabric—crafted by 300 workers and funded entirely by sales of their own preparatory works. The diptych Le Pont Neuf, Projet pour Paris distils this ephemeral spectacle, ...

Daniel Reichenbach AG is a family business that has been working with heat and stone since 1972. GstaadLife met with Daniel Reichenbach and Flavio Hauswirth in their remarkable space in Grund - part showroom, part museum - to talk about a trade that continues to shape the way we live.

Daniel Reichenbach AG is a family business that has been working with heat and stone since 1972. GstaadLife met with Daniel Reichenbach and Flavio Hauswirth in their remarkable space in Grund - part showroom, part museum - to talk about a trade that continues to shape the way we live.

Not just a chance to acquire rare items, Piguet's December auction in Geneva is an experience that unites collectors and connoisseurs in a celebration of beauty, craftsmanship, and history. 

Not just a chance to acquire rare items, Piguet's December auction in Geneva is an experience that unites collectors and connoisseurs in a celebration of beauty, craftsmanship, and history. 

On 1 October, Dame Julie Andrews turns 90. Beloved worldwide as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, she also found in Gstaad what she once called her “last paradise in a crazy world.”

On 1 October, Dame Julie Andrews turns 90. Beloved worldwide as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, she also found in Gstaad what she once called her “last paradise in a crazy world.”

In 2025, not all groceries arrive by car.
Above Rougemont, 86-year-old farmer Elsy Gäumann still carries on a mountain way of life — with the help of her goat, Sissi, who faithfully hauls the weekly shopping up the slope to her farmhouse.

In 2025, not all groceries arrive by car.
Above Rougemont, 86-year-old farmer Elsy Gäumann still carries on a mountain way of life — with the help of her goat, Sissi, who faithfully hauls the weekly shopping up the slope to her farmhouse.

Graff’s latest high jewellery suite, simply titled 1963, takes its name from the year the House was founded.

Graff’s latest high jewellery suite, simply titled 1963, takes its name from the year the House was founded.