The construction of cute and cozy alpine-style country houses is becoming increasingly popular among European homeowners, especially among our compatriots. They are guided by one single desire - unity with nature. Chalet - Alpine style in the design of the exterior and interiors of the premises - allows a person to move away from the bustle of city life and plunge into the world of natural harmony, choosing Alpine houses for living even close to the city.
Chalet style houses
This direction in the interior came to the inhabitants of Eastern Europe from the southeastern province of France, bordering Switzerland.
One of the main external differences of the alpine house is a sloping gable roof with high ledges that can reach two meters in length. Such "canopies" perform a protective function and protect alpine houses from the negative manifestations of weather phenomena. As a covering for such a roof, tiles with elements of wood species are used, often using the technique of decorative carving.
Modern stylechalet
In recent years, large-scale glazing has become a feature of the design of Alpine-style houses. This innovation allows you to transform the traditional design of the cottage beyond recognition. The combination of stone, wood and glass is more successful than ever: the style of the house remains fully sustained, and glass inserts in the form of panoramic windows allow you to expand the view of the incredible beauty of nature surrounding the rural alpine house.
In the past, the Alpine shepherds who lived in such houses tried to make the windows as small as possible, due to the bad weather conditions of the highlands in which the buildings were located. Today, the technological scheme for the production of window structures allows you to create such double-glazed windows that can withstand any bad weather.
Chalet style interior
Many homeowners are so immersed in the feeling of chalet style that they decide to completely transform not only country cottages, but also modify the interior of individual rooms of the apartment. Alpine-style living room looks logical in the apartment, it is appropriate to use design with elements of a chalet in other rooms.
Alpine houses (photos are presented in the article) look pompous not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
How successful this combination is, you can see while viewing a collection of interior designs of different rooms, designed in the style of a chalet.
Decorating a country living room
Having an idea of what should beAlpine houses located in the mountains or near a ski resort involuntarily tend to use the style of a hunting lodge, which is not so far from the alpine style in the interior of a country house living room.
Features of a country house chalet-style living room:
- spacious room;
- high ceiling;
- large windows;
- interior styling with wooden beams and ceilings, columns;
- wood floor;
- large chandeliers;
- good furniture made of solid wood.
Certainly, the main decoration of the reception room is the fireplace, a traditional attribute of the chalet style. When arranging an ordinary living room in a country house, the use of accenting the interior style on the fireplace recedes into the background. Furnishings play a more important role here. But in a rural or provincial interior, the center of attention is the hearth. Even if not stone finish, then the extensive decor will attract attention in any case. In oversized living rooms, placing stuffed wild animals over the fireplace is another (considered classic) style element.
The living room prototype described above was predominant in the design of the Alpine-style house (photo shown).
Today the style of the chalet in the interior has been "modernized" and looks a little different. The use of traditional upholstered furniture with leather upholstery, fur bedspreads and pillows is increasingly being abandoned, replacing frameless and transformingfurnishings that bring modernity and cosiness to a wood-panelled room.
Another option for a modern living room design style is the use of frameless furniture with bright upholstery. Typically, Alpine-style interiors are decorated in restrained colors and pastel shades of the natural group. Therefore, when applying bright accents, one must be careful not to disturb the harmony of the alpine style aesthetic.
By creating contrast with bright furniture, you can not only diversify the color palette of the room, but also instill in it the spirit of adventurism, a sense of colorful positive.
Alpine style bedrooms
The bedrooms in the Alpine houses were made small. This technique allows not only to correctly distribute the usable space, but also save heat. Previously, in small alpine houses, bunk beds were installed in the bedrooms, and the parent's bedroom was combined with the nursery, sometimes cribs were placed in the parents' rest room, where there was a fireplace that heated the sleeping area for the whole family.
Today, Alpine houses are rarely designed according to this principle, and style features have been replaced by more modern principles.
Kitchen and dining area, made according to all the canons of the style of the chalet
At a time when the chalet style was just beginning to develop, and the inhabitants of the Alpine villages did not even suspect that their lifestyle was destined to become a trend in interior design, the kitchen and dining room were combined into onea small room, for reasons of normal fuel savings for lighting a stove or fireplace.
The kitchen in the house was one of the warmest rooms, so the hearth was never allowed to cool down: something boiled and screeched all the time on the fire. Today, this need is no longer necessary, and the owners prefer to move the dining room outside the kitchen, placing the dining area back to back with the living room.
A distinctive feature of the kitchen-living room of a country house in the Alpine style is its impressive size. Despite this, elements of the chalet style are also successfully used in small kitchenettes of private houses within the city. This design is great for decorating the kitchen space, making the atmosphere even warmer.
Integration of home appliances in the Alpine kitchen
In a modern chalet-style kitchen filled with wood finishes, integrated appliances with stainless steel fronts look the best. This contrasting combination creates an interesting visual effect. In addition to the visual component, the emphasis is on functionality - the kitchen is fully equipped in terms of modern household (large and small) appliances. A seemingly simple interior, enhanced with modern appliances and the benefits of civilization, makes kitchen processes even easier and faster.
If you want to keep the style of the chalet in the interior completely, the facades of built-in household appliances can be easily decorated with wooden inserts to match the style of the interior. In doing so, you can useunpainted or colored wood.
The chalet style in a country house with an abundance of space or in a compact urban private house will look appropriate in any case. Alpine chalet houses are an interesting idea to move away from modern trends in interior design, becoming closer to nature, and at the same time keep the functional content of the kitchen one hundred percent.
