CUSTOM-MAKES DREAM CHALETS

Daniel Matti is living proof that even with being almost two metres tall one can conduct oneself with cautious restraint. His headquarters not far from the centre of Gstaad employs around 40 staff in the architectural division alone and is home to one of the most beautiful showrooms ever. His physique perfectly suits the successful entrepreneur; a man who custom-makes dream chalets for the world’s most well-to-do. The showroom itself is already an invitation to dream. Daniel Matti takes us with him on (t)his dream journey.

“We realise everything to do with wood ourselves, here in Saanen we’ve got our joinery and carpentry shop with a further 60 employees, as well as one of the biggest matured timber storage areas in the alpine region (up to 300 years old) in Chateau d’Oex. This allows us to offer quality through the entire spectrum of the process. People want a state-of-the art contemporary chalet with all the mod cons, but the matured timber will make for this homely alpine feel. We also offer everything to do with stone and other materials, which an upscale public may not yet have come across. Metals in all variations, lava stones, onyx, travertine and specially-finished surfaces.”

There’s no real estate crisis in Gstaad, or is there? We really cannot complain about the status of orders coming in. It seems Gstaad has been more resilient to the crisis, also because we undertake plenty of renovations or replacement buildings. The new developments on the green laws, which were the norm elsewhere, have been less of a phenomenon here. Here quality always preceded quantity.

And how do you define quality? Not in terms of golden taps but in terms of detailed craftsmanship. Old doors for example will be fitted with new hinges in such a way that they close perfectly. Wood patterns stretch around corners seamlessly.

I imagine material and pattern selection to be extremely time-consuming? We’ve got dozens of fixtures & fittings, reference patterns from domestic and international manufacturers stretching across numerous floors. The lift I’m taking you up in now literally saves us and our clients many trips and working hours.

International experience seems to be a plus? Absolutely, we’re able to offer our clients a one-stop service, but the top international high-end luxury clients often bring to the table with them world-famous interior designers. We’ve learnt a lot in our exchanges with these, discovered new materials, and we are up to the task of serving this clientele. However it is important to remember that even with their ideas, at the end of the day it is still the artisans who implement these. Even the greatest design concept has to be broken down to the nuts and bolts of the task at hand. We are tops when it comes to that.

What skills are needed for what you do? Creativity, networking (with artisans at every level), good suppliers, professional project management. A ‘tandem’ system has always been in place where a construction manager in charge of building operations and a project manager who liaises with the client are in close contact with one another.

How does project execution take place in concrete terms? In spite of Skype and visualisations, personal contact is still imperative – preferably here in the mindset of Gstaad although visits abroad to client’s homes give us a better understanding of their feel-good criteria.

The best thing about the job? We create timeless value which endures across generations.

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CHALETBAU MATTI | 3780 GSTAAD | SWITZERLAND