Situated in the beautiful neighborhood of Seefeld, a few steps from the Zurich lake, the stark, calvinist style building is about 100 years old. Sacha has lived there for three years, he considers himself lucky to have found a jewel in such a tight real estate market. Sacha is an English and Italian teacher, but his true passion is set on food ; he also gives cooking lessons and keeps himself busy baking a pie while I take photos. The bright peaceful place is as dark as it gets when I visit ; it’s raining cats and dogs. Yet, the beauty of the decor is striking, the slowly acquired art collection bathes in low, soft lighting and the place feels like a heaven of calmness, being in the heart of the city, minutes away from the Bahnhofstrasse. Sacha’s love for art materialized with a first acquisition seven years ago : a gift from Swiss-Iranian born artist Shahryar Nashat, he now has several other paintings or installations from in his flat. He also holds great fondness for the artist Manon, who first came to prominence in the 1970s with the installation « The Salmon coloured boudoir » (1974), she also happens to be Sacha’s neighbor ! One finds more than a few photographs by the artist throughout the apartment. In the dining-room, as well used as a work space to prepare for his classes, the beauty of the André Arbus gold leaf table is only emphasized by the large Verner Panton lamp above it. The dining chairs were found on the street next to a dumpster. Adjacent is the living-room, above the couch hangs an interesting series of small pencil drawings by Polish artist Mariusz Tarkawian, reproduced scenes he happened to see, draw as he would write in a diary. Everything is perfectly tasteful,  not one false note here, an African sculpture next to a large photograph, a delicate table by Louis Sognot on top of which lay ceramics by Uwe and Inke Lerch, a nice mix, yet every piece has a story, an anecdote linked to it. Sacha likes London, to go see musicals, but even more so Italy, Tuscany, he visits both countries regularly.

Sacha