The DNA: In the mountainous western Austrian state of Vorarlberg is the idyllic village of Furx. Despite its handful of ski lifts, you won’t find this small, windswept resort near the top of most winter holiday-makers’ itineraries – but that might be about to change. Peterhof, a fourth-generation hospitality business, is trying something new to put the village on the proverbial map. Patrick Schmid and Sarah Nesensohn have torn down their old inn and erected a series of beautiful wooden chalets.

“We sat together as a family and discussed what we could do here in Furx,” says Schmid, sitting in the restaurant in front of a window that reveals a stunning view of the steep-sided Rhine valley. “We realised that this area wasn’t yet developed for tourists. We came up with the idea of chalets relatively quickly by looking at successful projects in neighbouring Tirol.”

Lustenau-based practice Baumschlager Eberle Architekten was given the task of transforming the site into a more modern development that better reflected and drew attention to the scenery. “We took a weakness – the remoteness of Furx – and we made it our strength,” says Schmid.

Seen: archilovers, Monocle

✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 10 chalets (85-150m2) (915-1,615 sq ft) • hotel opened: 2021 • architecture Baumschlager Eberle Architecten ✅ free on-site parking • no pets allowed