Anyone who’s followed the writing of Tyler Brûlé over the years knows of his admiration for Swiss hospitality and style. The founder of Wallpaper* and Monocle magazines even doubled down with a move to Zurich years ago. So his recent collaboration with OXEN, a guesthouse down the lake in Küsnacht, was personal.
A classic, centuries-old inn going back centuries Gold Coast — aka ‘the Hamptons of Zurich — the former Gasthof Ochsen was reimagined by Brûlé’s design agency Winkreative, based a few minutes up the lakeshore.
Together with a team of equally passionate locals, the studio retained the property’s historical detail while bringing in modern and modernist touches — interesting art, designer lighting and simple, elegant furnishings. OXEN opened as a winter pop-up in 2023 and as a full-time hotel last spring, and the inn is the latest addition to the curated travel platform The Aficionados, which recommends more than 90 art and design-driven hotels and villas across Europe.
Courtesy of The Aficionados
Courtesy of The Aficionados
Courtesy of The Aficionados
Courtesy of The Aficionados
Courtesy of The Aficionados
Courtesy of The Aficionados
In an effort to put the property at the centre of the local cultural scene, they’ve hired chef Nicolas Hildebrandt to revitalise the restaurant. The new menu pairs schnitzel and stroganoff with local wines like the beloved Räuschling Küsnacht and offers a daily game speciality provided by hunters like Janine Egli.
The feather in their cap, however, is the second-floor two-bedroom suite, thoughtfully furnished with midcentury pieces from Switzerland, Germany, and the US, plus designs by Hakola, Burel Factory, Tiptoe, Johanna Gullichsen, and ASL Paris. Bold art, photography, and vintage posters come from Monocle’s archives and Brûlé’s own collection. Like most other guest rooms, it benefits from views over Lake Zurich.
