Chalet-style interiors and facades

Recently, the construction of country houses in the Chalet style is gaining popularity not only among European homeowners, but also among our compatriots. And they are driven by all the same reasons - the desire to be closer to nature, to be able to plunge into the beauty of the environment after a noisy and gassed city. It should also be noted that the popularity of ski resorts in our country is now at its peak. Leading a healthy lifestyle is not only useful, but also fashionable, skiing and snowboarding is the latest trend among sports trends. Well, well-off people can afford the construction of a country house, the appearance and arrangement of which will remind you of a ski resort all year round.

Chalet style came to us from southeastern France, a province that is located on the border with Switzerland. It is the peculiarities of the mountain climate, the severity and even some severity of natural phenomena and the rural lifestyle that were reflected in the style in which wealthy homeowners now prefer to build houses for a country vacation. If we talk about the literal translation of the word "chalet", then this is a shepherd’s house, located near the mountains. Obviously, the structure, the location of which was so difficult, had to meet all the requirements of strength and durability. Typically, small houses for rural residents of European provinces were built of stone and wood - the foundation and part of the first floor were made of stone, and the attic was made of wooden timber or logs. Such constructions paid off over time - the stone foundation was a reliable protection against unpleasant weather manifestations in the form of gusty winds, heavy rain or snowfall.

One of the main external features of a Chalet-style country house is a gable, gently sloping roof with large overhangs (the length of which reaches two meters). The purpose of such "awnings" is to protect the facade of the building from weather patterns. As a rule, such a roof is tiled with wood elements, decorative carving is often performed.

The tradition of building houses in the style of the Chalet is its following location in relation to the cardinal points: the main facade always looks east, and they try to design living rooms so that the sun throughout the day evenly illuminates all rooms.

Currently, not only stone is used for the construction of the basement (due to the high cost of natural material), but also brick or concrete. Stone (natural or its artificial counterpart) can be used only for facing the first floor. As for the attic or the second floor, the tradition of performing it from timber or logs has been preserved. The chalet-style house should have a spacious balcony, huge panoramic windows, a spacious veranda (glazed or not).

The Chalet style, which is also called Alpine, appealed to many wealthy people, despite its simplicity and "rural" origin. A cozy appearance, a solid and solid building, the use of eco-materials in an original manner - all this attracts those who wish to plunge into nature, but at the same time maintain the comfort and convenience of the modern world. Indeed, in the exteriors and interiors of houses in the chalet style, you can harmoniously integrate not only modern household and digital appliances, but also alarm systems, fire extinguishing systems and security communications.

In modern country houses made in the style of Chalets, glass surfaces are increasingly used.Stone and wooden materials have not been canceled, but the fact is that in the presence of beautiful landscapes around, homeowners would like to have as much opportunity as possible to observe the changes in nature from their own windows. And for this window should be large, panoramic. In addition, the weather problems that caused Alpine shepherds to keep their chalets' windows small were no longer relevant. Modern energy-saving double-glazed windows are able to withstand any bad weather.

Modern houses in the style of Chalets tend to be tall, but at the same time firmly stand on the ground. The projects of our time offer more intense glazing, including terraces and verandas. Buildings take on sharper shapes and stricter lines, simplicity and a sense of reliability are transmitted intuitively, inspiring a sense of calm for homeowners and their guests.

Obviously, most of the houses in the Alpine style are located in woodlands and often the site of the so-called courtyard is a very conventional concept, it is difficult to note where the owners' possessions end and the forest or mountains begin. But this does not mean that the territory near the house does not need arrangement and care. Of course, the main point in the design of landscape design of such households is the least intervention in the natural features of the location. The human hand, if it should be visible, is only in close proximity to the house.

It would be an unforgivable oversight, having a country house in the Alpine style, not to provide yourself with the opportunity to relax in the open air. It is not surprising that homeowners are trying, in addition to arranging open balconies, not glazed verandas and awnings, trying to equip small but cozy patios in the immediate vicinity of the house.

On wooden flooring or stone paved areas, there are resting compositions made of wooden or wicker furniture. Armchairs and tables for relaxing and gatherings or even dining groups are a unique opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery not from the window of your luxurious home.

Outdoor fireplaces or stoves, open fires are also installed here, which can serve as effective devices for preparing various dishes, as well as decor items that provide an opportunity to admire the flames while in a comfortable recreation area near your chalet-style house.

The origin of the alpine style consolidated her association with rural simplicity, comfort and warm atmosphere of the home. And the main feature of the chalet-style space is the use of natural materials. You will not find so intensive use of wood and natural stone in perhaps any other stylistic movement.

Many homeowners are so fond of the Alpine style that they decide to fully implement it not only in their suburban homes (which is quite logical and appropriate), but also transfer elements of a rural atmosphere to city apartments. As much as possible, you can make sure while viewing a selection of interior designs of various rooms, made according to the canons of chalet-style.

Representing the living room in a house located in a ski resort on the Alpine slopes, we involuntarily lean towards the style of a hunting lodge, but in a more spacious room with abundant use of wooden and stone finishes, stuffed animals on the walls and fur skins on the floors instead of carpets. And in this view, we are not far from the embodiment of alpine style in the interiors of living rooms.

An unconditional and obligatory attribute of a Chalet-style living room is a fireplace, if in ordinary rooms of country houses it often recedes into the background, giving way to leadership in bright furniture, then in rural interiors the home is the focus of attention.If not with stone trim, then the fireplace's extensive decor attracts attention. Stuffed animals placed above the fireplace are a common element of alpine style for the living room.

In modern living rooms, often the fireplace space is also a TV-zone. The TV is located above or near the hearth. This is a convenient and practical way to save space and create a single focal point for the living room.

The Chalet-style living room located in a country house is always a spacious room with high ceilings, huge windows, the active use of wooden beams, columns and flooring systems, indispensable wooden floors, luxurious warm carpets or animal skins on the floors, these are beautiful chandeliers and good-quality furniture made of solid wood.

If we talk about upholstered furniture, which will be appropriate to look in the living room with alpine style, then most often it is massive sofas and armchairs with leather upholstery. But this does not mean that there are restrictions on the use of velor, woolen or linen upholstery, it is only important that the synthetic component of the textile does not cut eyes, does not come to the fore (if you decide to use upholstery made of artificial fabric).

A modern living room in a country house with an alpine “slope” is usually equipped with large panoramic windows. If before the villagers had no choice but to watch the fire, the modern homeowner can enjoy the beautiful scenery around the clock.

Of great importance for the living room, made in alpine style, has a lighting system. On the one hand, the lighting in country houses has a muffled appearance, even intimate. But on the other hand, it is important for homeowners to be able to read a book while sitting by the fireplace, for example. Hence the need for a multi-level lighting system - in addition to the central chandelier (or several pendant lamps, depending on the size of the living room), table and floor lamps and lamps are used, wall lamps are located in the spaces between the windows, above the fireplace and near the entrance.

A more “modernized” version of the Alpine-style living room may depart from the use of traditional upholstered furniture with leather upholstery and fur covers and pillows. The use of frameless furniture will bring the spirit of modernity to the warm ambience of a wood-lined living room.

Another variation on the theme of upholstered furniture for the living room in the Alpine style is a bright upholstery. Typically, rooms in the Chalet style are not rich in bright colors, the palette is dominated by natural shades from the brown-beige group. Therefore, bright accents must be used metered and very carefully so as not to disturb the harmonious aesthetics of the rural interior. Bright upholstered furniture is able not only to diversify the color scheme of the living room, but also to bring the spirit of adventure, a colorful positive.

The ultramodern living room may not have in its design indispensable attributes of the Chalet style - a fireplace, animal skins and stuffed animals, but you will still understand that the interior belongs to the rural style by the active use of wooden and stone surfaces (artificial material now looks so that it is difficult to distinguish it from natural raw materials).

The living room located on the glazed veranda is an excellent opportunity to arrange a relaxation room with the possibility of enjoying local views of the landscape. Keeping the basic principles of space design in alpine style, in this way you can bring the spirit of modernity and progress into the living room and the whole country homeownership.

For romantic natures who appreciate the warmth of natural materials, enjoy the crackling of logs in the fireplace and the view of the dancing flame, a Chalet-style bedroom will be to your taste. The fact is that in most rooms for sleeping and relaxing, made in the alpine style, there is a fireplace.If earlier without this incredibly functional and, one might say, vital attribute of rural life, it was simply impossible to winter, then at present it has not so much a practical as a decorative function. After all, there is nothing easier than putting heating radiators in all rooms, sheathe them with wooden screens with perforations and enjoy the heat at any time of the year. But in this case, the charm of rural aesthetics will be lost, the magic of presence is not just outside the city, but in the lap of nature, surrounded by beautiful landscapes.

In alpine small houses in the bedrooms, bunk beds were often used, again due to space and heat savings. Often in the parent's bedroom were cots for children. As a result, the fireplace located here also heated the room where the whole family was placed for sleeping. Now there is no such need, but certain traditions and style features have remained.

For example, you can arrange a bedroom for guests (if you own a country house, furnished with all the comfort and coziness, then, obviously, you will have a lot of guests) with the use of multi-level planning of beds.

It is obvious that the flooring and the decoration of the ceiling in the bedrooms of country houses in the Chalet style will be made of wood, using some rusticity, roughly trimmed ceiling beams, columns, protruding fasteners. The walls are most often painted in light colors, but there is also a total wood finish, in which vertical surfaces are lined with wood.

Particular attention when designing a bedroom in alpine style should be given to textiles. Curtains, as a rule, are made of natural fabric, with respect flax and cotton in natural shades. For bedspreads, woolen or fur material is often taken on the bed (artificial or natural - it all depends on the wealth of the owners). As the fabric for pillow covers (decorative for sofas, atamans and armchairs), you can also use fur materials, natural wool in rough processing.

The bedrooms in country houses boast large spaces, so often in addition to a large bed and wardrobe, a place for relaxation is also placed here, a small boudoir made up of a pair of armchairs and a coffee table. Having located this group near the panoramic window, we get the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful views from our own bedroom.

The bed in the bedroom, made in the style of the Chalet should be solid, made of solid wood, possibly decorated with carvings and other wooden elements of decor. Often the decorative performance of the central piece of furniture in the bedroom is contrasted with some rude and brutal execution of the fireplace space, resulting in a harmonious interior.

Alpine-style aesthetics can be tried to be embodied in the interior of a bedroom located in a city apartment. In this case, it is necessary to apply a more “restrained” wood finish, to preserve the fireplace, but to simplify the stone finish of the space around it.

No wonder they say that it is in the kitchen that the life of any family is concentrated. Despite the functional utilitarianism, this room carries the warmth of the hearth, the smell of delicious dishes and the hospitality of simple home gatherings over a cup of tea. The design of the kitchen in the Chalet style is filled not only with the environmental friendliness of natural materials, but also with the real warmth that only natural raw materials can give.

The widespread use of wood finishes did not bypass the kitchen and dining rooms. In a special way, aged wood becomes a colorful decoration of a rustic interior. The kitchen and dining room, filled with warmth and a cozy atmosphere, invites you to a meal.

It is easiest to integrate household appliances with stainless steel facades into a modern Chalet-style kitchen filled with wood finishes.The contrasting combination of a certain coldness of steel shine with the textural warmth of wood creates an interesting visual effect, not to mention the complete equipment of the kitchen from the point of view of modern household appliances, necessary to simplify and speed up all the work processes of the kitchen space.

If you don’t want the modern look of household appliances to distract from the colorful countryside, you can mask the facades of the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven outside the doors of kitchen cabinets made of unpainted wood.

At the time of the establishment of the Chalet style (when alpine residents had no idea that their lifestyle would become a style), the kitchen and dining room were combined in one small space for reasons of ordinary saving on kindling firewood. The kitchen was one of the warmest places, because the hearth never burned out, there was always something boiling and twisting. Currently, there is no need to save space, and wealthy owners prefer to take the dining room out of the kitchen and place it next to the living room.

Kitchens and dining rooms in country houses with alpine styling, as a rule, boast impressive sizes. But even in the small kitchen of an urban private house, you can apply elements of the Chalet style to decorate the space. Incredibly original and unique, within the framework of the “stone jungle”, the warm, natural atmosphere of a unique cuisine will look.