Timber-clad interiors, pitched ceilings and open fires are typical of traditional chalet design. Beyond the physical, chalets represent a refuge from the elements. Often located in climates that experience extreme winter weather, they conjure a feeling of warmth and cosiness by their very existence. The best contemporary chalet design is all about contrast, harnessing the old and the new, the indoors and the outside, and stark architecture paired with textured interiors.
The mountainside home of a fashion insider
This chalet, owned by creative director of MSGM, Massimo Giorgetti, sits in the shadow of Mont Blanc. ‘The house was in the early stages of its construction, so we were able to intervene and implement our own ideas,’ he explains of coming across the work-in-progress chalet. Its jaw-dropping setting is just one of the memorable moments of this alpine home, from the selection of iconic furniture pieces such as Arne Jacobsen dining chairs, a Louis Poulsen floor light and the ‘Womb’ chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, to the timber-clad fireplace in the double height living room.
The colour-drenched chalet in Italy
This striking all-blue chalet is the work of architect and homeowner Stefan Rier. ‘Blue is traditionally thought of as a cold colour but here, the reddish-toned wood and the fabric walls warm it up,’ he notes. At the heart of the home (located in Siusi, northern Italy) is a ten-metre-high, open-plan living space that incorporates a dining area and kitchen, along with an all-important wood burning stove.
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The Aspen home that brings the outdoors in
Aspen might be synonymous with winter sports but the Colorado resort also enjoys warm summers, and so the changing seasons were inherent to the design of this home, intended to be a year-round escape for its Miami-based owners. Design studio Lake Flato took inspiration from local ranches and humble barns, along with the natural world, to create a dynamic home that makes the most of the property’s mountain views, while interior designer Constanza Collarte layered natural textiles and vintage objects to create an interior that is ‘authentic and approachable’.
A luxurious Austrian chalet buried in the snow
Half of this six-storey chalet in Austria’s Tyrol region is underground, and it was during the excavation that a game changing discovery was made. Massive boulders of quartz were unearthed and subsequently repurposed as flooring, a kitchen worktop and sink. ‘We were so excited by this discovery that we decided to go with the idea of using only local materials,’ says Tobias Petri, homeowner and co-founder of interior-design brand Holzrausch.
The modern Swiss home with traditional sensibilities
Klosters, located in the Northern Swiss Alps, may have a starry reputation thanks to its proximity to Davos and popularity with stars like Greta Garbo and Paul Newman, but this chalet by Think Architecture and interior-design studio Atelier Zürich is notably more low-key. Formerly three separate dwellings, the reimagined property boasts a pared-back, natural materials palette in a nod to the beauty of the natural landscape. The result is a modern interpretation of a traditional Swiss mountain house – ‘clean lines but cosy. Not too much and not too little,’ say the designers.
The mid-century gem in northern California
The team at Landed Interiors wanted to harness the ‘alpine après’ aesthetic when it came to redesigning this mid-century home but, given its location in Tahoe, were keen to avoid any suggestion of pastiche. While the traditional chalet style can make sense in the snowy region, ‘we’re also not in Switzerland,’ notes Heather Menegat, studio director of the studio’s Berkeley office. There are subtle flourishes, such as tiered, Swiss-inspired moulding on walls, paired with jewel-toned bathrooms and a hint of Japanese design, that work together to create a lived-in feel to this newly designed property.
The French chalet designed for four seasons
‘The owners wanted a versatile place to be enjoyed all year round, not just a home for winter,’ says architect and designer Annalisa Mauri of this mountainside chalet in France’s Chamonix valley. In summertime, the home is surrounded by a joyful Alpine garden of wildflowers, while winter brings heavy drifts of snow. To create a home designed for both long balmy lunches and cosy nights by the fire, Annalisa dedicated the basement to leisurely pursuits such as sauna and cinema, while the upper living areas enjoy sweeping views of the nearby Aiguille du Dru mountain.
A pre-fab holiday home on Long Island
North Fork, a sleepy peninsula on Long Island, proved to be the perfect spot for a holiday escape for family of Brooklynites. They turned to architecture firm Lake Flato, who in turn looked the area’s traditional barns for inspiration. ‘Part of them is always inserted into the landscape to provide better insulation,’ explains architect Ted Flato. The three resulting structures were built off-site with a firm who specialise in prefabricated wooden structures and then transported by barge to the location. ‘From the outside, this house looks like a humble, anonymous barn,’ says Ted, ‘but inside it’s a clean, contemporary experience of just roof planes, wall planes and columns’.
