City villa, Neuwied

Our era has a sense of the cultural heritage held in historic buildings. But this valuable heritage isn’t always preserved with style. Awakening a Sleeping Beauty from hundreds of years of sleep, finally giving Cinderella the clothing she deserves again or even healing the wounds from unfortunate “cosmetic procedures” of past decades all requires investment, intuition and skill.

All of this came into play in the renovation of the late-classicist villa in Neuwied, which now shines gloriously. The scene was very different until recently. The charm of previous years was still recognizable, but the cracks were, quite literally, showing. This is often the beginning of the end. Slow deterioration then follows until the building is demolished or until a loveless, simple restoration takes place, complete with removal of the stucco elements, installation of large-scale windows and removal of the shutters.

That was not the fate of the Kücherer house in Neuwied: as though a switch had been flipped, the building has now been given a new face. Not only have all structural facade and decorative elements been addressed and restored to a high quality. The windows and shutters have also been refurbished. The color concept, which is graduated in gray and white, comprises all wall, wood and metal parts and has a very coherent and balanced appearance.

The before-and-after comparison leaves no doubt: a stylish facade renovation in high-quality workmanship, including mineral coatings, has created a veritable gem here. In the words of architect Luigi Snozzi: “If you’re building a house, think of the city”.