Nestled amidst the postcard-esque Vaudois village of Gingins, with breath-taking views of snow-capped Mt Blanc mountains, the Oswal family home ‘Villa Vari’ resides as a one-of-a-kind palatial getaway.
A self-made Switzerland-based billionaire of Indian origin, Pankaj Oswal and his wife Radhika Oswal found a haven in the Swiss landscape and built a home with his family that costs a whopping 200 million CHF, easily earning a firm spot in the list of world’s most expensive homes.
Previously owned by Christine Onassis, the daughter of a Greek shipping magnate, the lavish residence was redesigned by renowned designer Jeffrey Wilkes. The interior designer is known for his stunning work with the Oberoi Rajvilas, Oberoi Udaivilas and the Leela Hotels.
According to him, the brief given to him by the Oswals was to create a home that pays homage to the family’s Indian heritage and marries it with a cosmopolitan outlook. And Wilkes delivered.
The sprawling mansion is spread across an area of 40,000 sq meters and features a number of custom interior installations that have been sourced from all over the world.
Despite being a record-setting house, the house remains quietly luxurious and reflects the values of its owners, who enjoy a jet-setting lifestyle yet choose to remain low-key and private by choice. Even the name, Villa Vari, has been taken from the initials of the two Oswal girls, Vasundhara and Riddhi.
The mansion is designed beautifully with bespoke copper accents, champagne leaf screens, stunning tiki mirror panels, and exquisite marble work. The designer’s relationship with the crafts and traditions of India allowed the house to become exactly what the Oswals wanted it to be. Take, for instance, an accent wall in one of the many rooms of the house which has been covered with a series of intricately carved niches inspired by the Amber Palace in Jaipur. To maintain its authenticity, everything was handmade in Rajasthan.
The picture-perfect view of the outside is framed perfectly from the inside with French doors, large glass-paned windows, and chandeliers sourced from Turkey and Morocco. The house also has several built-in, multiple-storeyed walk-in wardrobes and a gold inlaid spa and wellness wing.
The Oswal’s Swiss retreat is a true testament of exquisite taste and quiet luxury.
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