Features of interior design in the chalet style

A chalet or a house in the Alps is a refuge of a shepherd on high mountain pastures. It was he who gave an inexhaustible theme for a new kind of country style. Numerous design developments have made adjustments to adapt the archaic chalet-style interior to the conditions of a city apartment. The source of inspiration is a two-level house “сhalet”, with its solid wooden furniture, stone walls and a fireplace, which forms this cozy archaic atmosphere.

The chalet-style interior is simple and comfortable.

In such a room it is nice to relax from the city noise and plunge into the atmosphere of village life

What is the difference between the architecture and style of the chalet

The architecture of the chalet and its interior design style formed in the Alps, at the junction of the highlands of Italy, France and Switzerland. Alpine pastures are characterized by changeable weather, strong winds and heavy rains even in the summer season. Therefore, the quiet refuge of the shepherds should be, first of all, warm, reliable and comfortable - these are the characteristic features of the chalet-style interior.

The main attributes of the style are a fireplace, natural wood, stone and sheep skins or their imitation

Successful styling of a gas stove under the fireplace

It is noteworthy that the Swiss consider this style “too French”, the Italians attribute its charm and modernized architecture to themselves. And the French emphasize that this is a mountain house in Switzerland, with all its attributes. They claim that they made only a small contribution from Provence country-style. Hence the confusion about the origin of the chalet in the interior.

Sometimes the chalet resembles the Scandinavian style, but there is much less white color

So, the Swiss house in the modern interpretation is a luxurious two-story villa in the mountains, built according to the classical model.

Chalet style modern house

The real chalet in the classic version is the usual building in the mountains, the “residence” of a shepherd in the mountains, where the basement is a sedan made of stone, the upper one is wooden, with rough beamed ceilings, brickwork and rough stucco with whitewashing are possible.

Therefore, all materials are natural, environmentally friendly. All objects and furniture - without elaborate sophistication, handmade, the usual geometry of squat forms. But there is something attractive in this simplicity of a country house with a chalet-style interior, which makes this kind of country extremely popular.

Stone fireplace lining fits perfectly into the interior of the room

Wooden columns and arches perfectly complement the picturesque view from the window

Mountain residents value warmth and comfort most. Therefore, a squat sloping roof, on which snow has long been lying on top of a melted infusion, helps to stabilize the temperature. Most of the panoramic windows face east to get up with the first rays of the sun. The fireplace is the center of the most reliable, cozy and warm home, as many residents of the picturesque Alpine villages will confirm this, regardless of the country.

Today, the chalet-style interior design is at the peak of popularity; romantic nature for houses on the plains and luxurious apartments with the layout of duplexes and loft apartments is chosen. This may be the best solution for an ordinary country house without walls, standing on the edge of the forest, and arranging a spacious attic.

The style of the chalet goes well with art deco elements.

Recently, entire hotel districts have been built like chalets - structurally they are very simple and attractive. Mass enthusiasm for mountaineering fuels the desire to take with you a piece of romantic mountainous atmosphere, which explains the demand for the chalet style in the interior of a country house and city apartment. Even in the suburbs, whole villages were built in new buildings, in many ways resembling houses in the Alps. But in fact, the chalet is a semi-basement ground floor and a spacious attic.

For this architecture, a peculiar design of the adjoining territory is characteristic, with its large terraces under a visor, far overhanging from the roof. It is customary to equip them with wicker garden furniture and tables made of natural sawn large trunk, but other variations are possible, emphasizing the chalet in the interior and exterior design.

Chalet-style outdoor terrace

Near the wooden terrace or veranda usually make a small lawn and rock gardens - islands of landscape design, emphasizing the choice of style of the interior of the chalet. You can even make an artificial pond with a cascading waterfall, but in front of a real private building in the Alps - an alpine landscape.

Chalet style in the interior of a country house

The chalet style in the interior is a colorful variety of country with its "shepherd's" attributes. Of course, this is a bundle of firewood right by the fireplace, sheepskin rough dressing, carelessly scattered on upholstered furniture.

Any kind of hunting decor is welcome

Deer horns chandeliers

Hunting decoration in chalet style in a country house is also possible:

• the skin of a wild beast underfoot or a sofa;
• antlers on an empty wall in the living room;
• a blanket on a bed of skins or their imitation;
• A small collection of knives.

All this will not help to fully describe the features of this style, but will give a more complete picture of the typical features of a modern chalet interior. Rough wood and stone - this is what distinguishes a real mountain house, so the greatest attention is paid to architectural features and surface lining.

Chalet style - suitable for spacious attic rooms

There is no place for plastic and synthetic materials. But in a city apartment, designed in the spirit of the design of the chalet, you can widely use the imitation of a real tree. The advantage is given to aged wood and a laminate of a rough texture - this is a typical "feature" of this kind of country. In the natural environment, the tree gets wet and darkens with water and snow, which gives it signs of natural aging.

The interior is usually done in pleasant pastel colors.

The main colors for the style of the chalet's interior:

The main gamut is selected from 2-3 shades, for example, white, brown and gray, as in the photo

In rooms with low ceilings, it is better to use light shades.

The decor is appropriate alpine theme - conifers and meadows, birds and animals, mountain peaks and snow-covered landscapes. Hand-made rugs of colored yarn, rough textiles and animal skins are an additional alpine surroundings of the chalet-style living room interior. Dry ikebana, pouches of herbs and bunches of medicinal plants tied up on beams give a special spicy aroma typical of country interiors. The kitchen compartment is filled with ceramic dishes and simple handmade utensils.

Furniture is deliberately simple, but not rude and “clumsy,” homemade versions of tables and chairs are quite appropriate

In this style, different types of wood can peacefully coexist, differing in texture and shade. However, elite wood does not belong here - the emphasis is on the simplicity and accessibility of materials.

In this bedroom you can survive the cold winter

The chalet in the interior of a modern interpretation is in great demand when it comes to building a country house or choosing one of the varieties of country style. In its pure form, in our territory, the chalet does not exist, especially in the design of apartments. All that is presented in the photo is adapted versions, where a lifestyle close to nature is glorified.

Chalet-style apartment interior

Although so far there is no single concept of how the interior should look like in a chalet style, but the style is very recognizable. It incorporates the features of some related trends, such as Scandinavian minimalism, retro, vintage and shabby chic. There is something in it from the French Provence and the desire to live luxuriously, even in poverty, purely in Italian.

Open Planning Priority

Artificially aged wooden surfaces give a special charm.

In the primordial chalet, the surface of the walls was left without cladding, the lower basement - high-quality masonry, which did not require modification. The upper attic was all made of wood, including beams on the ceiling. Today, the lower level is often plastered, but they do it with an imitation of natural materials - the color of cement and sand. Or paint the walls with a rough imitation of lime whitewash.

The texture of natural wood should be the main lining - lining, timber, blockhouse and even imitation of wood in synthetic analogues, such as eco-veneer and laminate. This is the best décor in the chalet style. Whitewashing on the ceiling is also appropriate, only imitation of beams should be present, communications (pipes and wires) are often hidden in their hollow “cores”. It will not be superfluous to use woodcarvings covering some objects, for example, a ventilation window.

For decoration, only natural materials or high-quality imitations are used.

The chalet style does not tolerate excessive light, so the number of fixtures is strictly limited

There should not be much furniture, only everything you need

If you understand in more detail what is characteristic of the style of the chalet in the interior, then natural stone and its synthetic analogues are also appropriate:

• porcelain tile;
• flexible stone;
• "Wild" stone;
• stone wallpaper (slice of sandstone).

Masonry made of stone can complement red brick and rough stucco. It is sometimes imposed with bald spots, "bald spots" or spaces, partially revealing the basis - this is a specific design technique. A more urban finish is possible, for example, wallpaper, but their drawing should be strictly in the style of country. They will be appropriate in the bedroom of the apartment or emphasize the design in the style of a chalet inside the house. A blank wall can be decorated with murals with a mountain landscape.

Cast iron chandeliers with retro shades are well suited as lighting fixtures

It is worth considering that the interior in the style of a chalet in an apartment cannot be reflected to the extent that it turns out in buildings built according to all the canons of a mountain house. But all decor items should be subordinate to this topic, on the walls you can hang pictures with mountain landscapes.

Chalet is simplicity and naturalness, so this style is more suitable for lovers of peace and quiet

Ancillary facilities and a kitchen are designed like a regular country. And only a living room with low handmade furniture (its imitation) and carelessly scattered sheep skins will emphasize the mountain theme with rural color.

Video: a cozy chalet-style house designed for a rural holiday

Photos of chalet-style interiors