Living in a place previously used for prayer. The Grüter family fulfilled the vision they had for their own home in 2013 when they purchased the church building in St. Galler Rheintal (Switzerland). Before they moved in, they renovated the facade and the windows. A couple of years later, they started their next big renovation project, in which both the kitchen and the floors of the open dining/living area were replaced.
Originally, the building was erected in 1931 by a free church, but by the late 90s, it became state property and was converted to a faith centre. Sometime later, it was leased out to the canton and used as a home for asylum seekers until it was bought by a family (the predecessors of the Grüters), who completely remodelled it as a house. The Swiss Grüter family has lived in the building since 2013. Mr and Mrs Grüter and their three children spend most of their time in the spacious living and dining area on the ground floor, formerly used for church services. Now it is a place for cooking, eating, relaxing and having fun.
Before and after pictures of the living and dining room
The new 1-strip planks were fitted precisely, leaving no room for any inconvenient holes or gaps (e.g. around heating pipes) for the dust to accumulate in. The Grüter family are clearly happy with the result:
‘We love the uniform look of the new parquet and the seamless transition from the dining area to the living area. And this floor can take some abuse, which is particularly important with three children.’
During the installation of the new kitchen, the Grüters decided to replace the ageing parquet floor. It was clear from the start that parquet would be the flooring of choice, as no other type of flooring brings as much warmth to a home. Among other requirements for the new floor, it had to be visually appealing and able to withstand various day-to-day mishaps, from water splashes in the kitchen to toy blocks dropped by the children. This led to the choice of Bauwerk’s 1-strip planks in Villapark format, with a warm Mandorla colour and a rustic 46 grading.
Once the floor installer inspected the old floors and the situation in the room, the family found out that the new parquet floor could be installed directly onto the old, without having to remove the latter.
| Location | Balgach, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Architect | unknown |
| Building owner | Private |
| Floor installer | Ernst Nüesch & Co, Balgach |
|---|---|
| Parquet | Villapark, Oak Mandorla 46 |
| Photographer | Carole Arbenz Photography |
