Any ideas for decorating my alpine chalet?

9 years ago

Just bought a French Alpine Chalet as a holiday home/let. It's all wooden and very plain. No focal point fire. Just a big shed really. Anyone got any advice on colour schemes. Would love off white, but not practical as it's to be let out sometimes. Will be buying new sofas, table etc. Help!

Featured Answer

hortonhearsawho2013

9 years ago

I like the idea of whitewashing! Charcoal also looks nice with golden timber. I just searched chalet in houzz and there are lots of great ideas in there - time to start an idea book!

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Comments (13)

PRO
Sort Our Stuff
9 years ago
Blue and green contrast well with the wood colour better than the Reds & oranges in the photo. There's a hell of a lot of people old too! How about a white feature wall behind the sofa?
PRO
Sort Our Stuff
9 years ago
Not sure what happened in my typing but I was suggesting there was a lot of pine wood that needed some variety adding to it.
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PRO
OnePlan
9 years ago
White washing the interior is really easy to do and could be redone at the end of each season if needed - a satin wood finish is easy to wipe clean though so might not need it !! Keep it all white add in colour in your accessories. Or go for all muted shades ( just remember which is which and mark the paint tins accordingly for touch ups ) I love Dulux Egyptian Cotton - with duck egg blues, greys, caramels and taupes ! With white skirtings, doors and windows! And warm wood floors ! Just so chilled out !!
PRO
Bella Whiteley Interiors
9 years ago
Happy to help get a 'look' together for you with where to get stuff,keeping a traditional yet quirky look for your visitors. Generally,with most rentals,the higher spec the interior fit out,the owners can charge more & thus increase their rental yield.......message me via our website,if we can be of service.
Jannjann Edge
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the comments. I'm new to this - stumbled upon this Houzz App - it's fantastic!
I shall start an idea book as suggested. Although whitewashing a wall is a great idea, I'm not sure if it would look right as the wood is floor to roof and it would be difficult to know where the cut off line would be.
Like the sound of charcoal - practical colour and there's a lot around at the moment and blues and greens too.
Need to have a big think.
boundsgreener
9 years ago
Welcome/Bienvenue to Houzz!

If you just type in "chalet" into the search box, THOUSANDS of photos will come up. You can then narrow it down by room or style.....or spend days and days looking at beautiful things and creating your ideabooks. Here are a couple I found:
Ardesia Design - Chalet Gstaad · More Info

Ardesia Design - Chalet Gstaad · More Info

Award Winning Alpine Chalet · More Info

Alpine Technology · More Info

If you really love off white, it'll be fine if you buy sofas with removable and washable covers. My mum has gorgeous couches in her rental and just washes the covers once a season. Renters are actually better at being kind to furniture than a lot of family members!

Good luck and enjoy.
PRO
Talhaus Interior
9 years ago
definitely do not paint beautiful wood, that would be very sad. But what you can do, to give it a more rustic look, have it treated with a metal brush and only oiled, not stained or varnished. I can also recommend some furniture that I really like for an Alpine Lodge. e.g. the Ghost Chair 01 from Gervasoni
PRO
Talhaus Interior
9 years ago
I could also recommend to get some warm light in there with a table lamp e.g. I have just recently made some with antlers, that look really great. if you are interested, I have about 3 pieces left. They were made for a Lodge in Austria. With regards to your colour scheme, If you like warm white, I would only add that with rugs and armchairs/sofa in darker tones or grey tones. That gives you the opportunity to add brighter colours like red as cushions.
PRO
joolsdunne
9 years ago
I designed a ski chalet 3 years ago which we use all summer and rent out in the winter. I wanted a sophisticated look that would not date and wanted to avoid the traditional Savoie gingham and hearts.
The chalet look has been over done of late so try and avoid too many cliches such as tons of antlers and deer motifs.
Grey sounds a great colour choice but you will need and accent colour to make the scheme 'pop'. Soften the tile floors with some luxurious rugs, Jacaranda make some beautiful floorings.
Here are some pictures of Chalet Bouquetin that I designed in Morzine, Get in touch if you need more help.
www.juliadunneinteriors.com.
PRO
Pat Oliver Interior Design
9 years ago
Judging from the interior image that you provided, the wood of the chalet looks warm and inviting. Once you start whitewashing or painting all the wood, there's no turning back without great expense. Before you make any changes, make up some pine "walls" and test them with a) white whitewash and b) pale grey whitewash.

The easiest (and safest) route would be to change the furniture. Use reflective surfaces for tables and chairs in white or light colours. Upholstered furniture can also be light or punchy like turquoise, sharp greens, etc. Removable and washable covers would be perfect for keeping the chalet clean, particularly if you plan to rent it out.

The floor looks to be a pinkish tile. You could change this to a paler tile that looks like travertine or limestone. This will contrast well with the wood and be easy to clean.

Enjoy your new holiday home.
PRO
Button & Sprung
9 years ago
This is amazing, it would be my dream to have an alpine chalet. Lucky you! I think it's best to keep it in the traditional chalet theme, wonderful natural wood and sumptuous furnishings with plenty of cosy throws. If you can, I would definitely add a wood burning stove to add a focal point the living room and to add to the alpine feel. With the colour scheme I would perhaps steer away from the classic reds and gingham and aim for some more modern greys, burnished oranges, neutral colours. Hope some of this helps, enjoy the project!
Katy Greenwood
9 years ago
plum colours give it warmth x