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Winter time is ski-season for many people and winter sports enthusiasts flock for the season to the Swiss and French alps (at least if not for the snow then for the apres-ski). If you are lucky enough to own your own chalet or want to bring some of the chalet-chic of the cosy alps back to your own home, then this is the guide for you.

Natural Finishes: The first thing that anyone thinks about in a chalet is wooden walls and maybe some natural stone or brick. The choice of woods and wood finishes are countless. Rough sawn timbers are great for a rustic look and a chalet with more character. Choosing a darker coloured wood finish can be used to create a cosy, traditional style of chalet or choose a lighter colour for a more Scandinavian feel. Smooth finishes would work well for a modern, luxurious look.



Bring the Outside In: Chalet design is not all about the interior - the look of a chalet relies heavily on the outside. The thick blanket of snow, the soaring heights of the alps, the rolling hills and fresh colours all add to the chalet feel - especially if your chalet has great big windows to better admire the view. In order to bring the outside in, as it were, adorn your chalet with natural accessories - log ends on display next to the fire place, pendant or wall lights made of deer antlers (always a favourite) and natural hide rugs or throws are a great way to add a bit of rustic charm.

Wools, Plaids and Tartan Patterns: An absolute given in any chalet is the obvious indulgence in warm, heavy woolen fabrics, tartan and check patterns and lots of cosy cushions and throws. Try to keep the soft furnishings colour-palette somewhat refined - choose a colour like green or red and go with it, keeping accents more neutral (greys or beiges). It's also a good idea to keep the geometrics at least vaguely related - if you go for checks, don't make everything checked but maybe choose an accent fabric with squares or stripes. Don't go too overboard with patterns though and remember that there's nothing wrong with a luscious plain fabric. Overall, a good chalet should have a good amount of classic pattern and a touch of colour and fabric is a great way to break up or distract from the copious amount of wood your chalet is most likely constructed from (see below our full-wall headboard in grey, check wool).


The Right Lighting: In order to create a warm, cosy atmosphere in the midst of the cold wintery backdrop of a chalet, it's important to consider the right type of lighting. Certainly steer away from lights with 3000K or more as these will appear cold. 2700K would be a good choice for creating natural but warm lighting effects. Decide your lighting based on the room layout and the geometry of the space. Chalets don't need to be equally lit everywhere as the concept is about creating a cosy place of relaxation - light up the spaces that you want to highlight as 'warm areas' and where a bit of light would create the best contrast between the cold exterior, for example (as we have done in the Chalet in Gstaad, above the windows).


A Cosy Atmosphere: The key with any chalet, regardless of the style, is to create a cosy atmosphere to retreat to after a heavy day of skiing in many feet of snow. The style of a chalet can be anything from rustic to elegant but above all, it should be comfortable. Keep the sofas soft and wide to allow comfortable snuggling for friends and family.  A good mix of textures, fabrics and patterns combined with good lighting and a roaring fire where possible should soon do the trick.


Keep it Luxe: I think it would be generally accepted that a chalet is somewhat of a luxury that most people might not afford. If you are one of the lucky ones or if you are reading our guide simply to get some design tips on how to bring chalet style to your own home then the key thing that we would point out is that always keep it luxe. A chalet should be a special place away from routine home life and a place to relax on holiday. Therefore, whatever you do, be sure to add a healthy dose of luxury, elegance and glamour to your chalet design.

If you are refurbishing right now, take advantage of winter's lovely textures and patterns, and wintery pastel tones. This season, we've noticed a trend towards warmer shades of neutrals and some interesting geometric patterns.

See below:
1. Pastels and off whites work well in bathrooms - keeping it minimal is key but minimal doesn't necessarily imply cold. We love the use of the off-white wall colours with the wooden floor finish.

2. An interesting design with a lot of wood and natural materials for warmth. The wooden walls and floor contrast nicely with the simple white kitchen. Wall cladding such as this is not a difficult effect to achieve and it certainly stands out!

3. I absolutely love this bathroom and the angle this photo was taken at. Mosaics are very popular at the moment, especially mosaics that depict geometric patterns in muted colours.

4. Quite a bold, modern design but this kitchen / dining space applies the rules of winter design - the mis-matching of the top and bottom kitchen cabinets with the fantastic, geometric splashback works well and the Dixon lampshade adds drama. Animal hide rug optional.

5. This is probably one of my favourite kitchens I have seen in a while. I love the tall cabinets with the flush fronts - the finish of the cabinet doors is very interesting (they look almost like plywood but smoother). The herringbone floor is fantastic, it adds a lot of interest and drama and the colours and patterns of the kitchen cabinets, floor and gorgeous stone worktop work together very well.

6. I love this design as it shows how a luxurious look can be achieved without a great amount of flamboyant gold colours, bold prints or excessive amounts of crystal accessories. The beige / pastel wall colours and natural linen fabrics keep this design down to earth.

We are doing some research into a new design at the moment and are flirting with the idea of detailing the floor and shower areas in marble. We are considering custom made marble sinks and bath tops. Although quite expensive when used in large quantities, especially large format tiles and custom items such as the sinks, marble bathrooms have a fantastic, luxury feel to them and the rest of the design does not need to be overpowering as the natural beauty of the marble is enough.

We met Pure Lana at this year's Decorex International trade show in London and absolutely LOVED EVERYTHING. The quality and design of every product was something different and special and everything stood out to us. Pure Lana create purely organic throws and cushions from llama and alpaca wool and some merino wool products (which were our favourite). We loved the heavy, chunky merino wool throws which were probably the softest thing I've ever touched. We also loved the stripe collection, which had a lovely handmade touch of the countryside to it. We'd certainly like to be working with Pure Lana in the near future to create some custom made designs so keep watching this space!

From their website:

Darono is a Portuguese company that exhibited for the first time this year at Maison et Objet. We love the natural feel of the products and the way they stay true to their real, tactile sense of texture without feeling too traditional. The bold colours and modern shapes are what really make the Darono brand. Overall they have a great selection of products, which, although they come from humble handmade, traditional techniques, are executed with a true contemporary feel.


From their Press Release:

Vanessa Anyaeji, designer and blogger, has already written one good article for us, but she did not want to stop on that :) So please welcome her article about company called MENU.


What I find intriguing about this collection is how much detail is taken to invoke the Nordic scenery. The light blue glaze conjures up thoughts of the Nordic summer evenings. The dark blue and grey glaze represents the vivid seas and cloudy skies. The brown wood tones convey the forest’s profundity, warmth and sensuality while the texture of the stone plate recalls the image of Nordic mountains.




Follow Vanessa on her blog.

We've been talking a lot lately about the changing of the modern kitchen - what does this mean anymore? Our preconception of a modern kitchen today is gloss white, minimal and sleek. However, there has been a recent shift towards a 'modern traditional' style - rustic finishes, matt cabinet fronts, texture and natural materials... but with modern shapes and sleek geometry.

Another thing we have noticed has started to trend in the kitchen department is the use of marble or large scale stone slabs as back splashes, and the return of the shaker style kitchen.

In today's culture, the modern kitchen is whatever you want it to be. In fact, if you went really retro with your kitchen and finished it in a 50's style, as long as you kept the geometry simple and straight, you'd get away with calling it a modern kitchen. The new kitchen trend is towards simplifying form and function but being fun and playing with texture, material finishes and showing your personality! We love it.

There was a lot of linen (as we expected) at this year's show so it was quite refreshing to meet the Spanish company MikMax. The thing that got us interested about MikMax was their lovely range of jersey bedlinens in fantastic colours, striped patterns and just a great, high quality. Although MikMax also offered some linen options (who doesn't at the moment), we were just so excited about their jersey range and also their great throw collection. I especially loved the double sided throws!


From their website:

In 2007, following a career as a textile designer, Cristina Montaña set up mikmax, 
a textile products collection for interiors.Cristina lives outside Barcelona, surrounded by mediterranean pine trees, in a privileged environment in which she designs her bedding and interior collections using the best cotton and linen fabrics.
the world.


Cristina's concern for the environment and her passion for travel are reflected in the spirit of mikmax. A collection using only the best quality fabrics, subtle colors and textures which have an internal harmony and give any interior a timeless appeal. Cristina's designs suit every taste and age, and will enhance any ambience across