Magnificent chalets

Would someone refuse to turn their country home into an island of warmth and incredible comfort? Never, because this is the true goal of everyone who is puzzled by the construction or acquisition of real estate of this rank. They are trying to achieve the desired result by sorting through various design options for the building, and here the attention of many is attracted by chalet-style houses.

This type of cottages is very popular in the West. Those who have been to ski resorts have already had the opportunity to enjoy the delights of life in such houses, but now they have become an affordable and desirable solution to the housing problem in our country.

Chalets have become the epitome of privacy and comfort. In such a house, you can truly relax and forget about everyday ups and downs, enjoying unity with wild, untouched by human hand, nature.

Despite the emphasized simplicity of style, the chalets appealed to successful people with their color and unique atmosphere, because for many of them silence and comfort are more important than “boasting” to friends.

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History of the chalet

Initially, houses of this type were built high in the mountains and served as a refuge for ordinary shepherds. They were built to last, using high-strength materials, as the buildings had to confidently withstand the harsh weather conditions of the mountain climate. This quality of houses is preserved today, so they can be confidently characterized as reliable and functional. If you look at the interior, it is impossible not to note the solidity of all the elements present. Here is the realm of beams, stone, solid furniture and natural materials.

Since chalet-style houses were a haven for stern men of a difficult profession, their decor was minimal: a homespun carpet on the floor, which was often replaced with an animal skin, and pottery on a shelf. However, as the shepherd's dwelling approached our everyday life, wall paintings, deadwood decorations, and carving elements became acceptable in the house.

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Stylistic features

The very name of the house speaks about the main points of design. Designers often present the chalet as a kind of country. And this makes sense, because the style is truly rustic and the principles of its decor are identical. In both cases, functionality is valued, the absence of flashy details and objects. Simplicity is visible in everything: in the design of walls, and in the quality of textiles, and in the structure of furniture.

Signs characteristic of a chalet-style house:

1. The presence of a basement. It is made tall and quite massive. The plinth is driven out of natural stone, ideally - rocks.

2. Log walls. Solid heavy logs are taken for their construction. The attic floor is also assembled from the same material.For a modern interpretation of the chalet, it is allowed to use brick instead of logs, which is considered more durable and practical than natural wood.

3. The wall surface is finished with plaster and whitewash. Walls should look natural and not show any signs of ultra-modern décor.

4. Attic. It will certainly be equipped under the roof of the house.

5. Windows to the floor. Thus, the rooms are filled with light, and the interior gets lightness.

6. Veranda or open balcony. They are organized under the slopes of the roof. The area is limited by carved railings.

7. Simple furniture in the setting.

8. The presence of forged parts in the form of door handles, candlesticks.

9. Ceiling beams with preserved wood structure and color.

10. An indispensable fireplace.

11. Pictures with heavy frames.

12. Hunting decor with stuffed animals, horns, weapons, etc.

Plastic in chalet-style houses is completely unacceptable. It can only appear together with household appliances, but, as they say, modern housing cannot do without it.

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Exterior of Alpine-style buildings

"Modern houses in the power of a chalet are characterized by glazing surfaces in large volumes"

An Alpine house is a building with a strong foundation and a first floor made of solid solid stone. In our open spaces, being built from natural materials, it looks especially original. In temperate latitudes, it is not easy to find a mountain stone, so it is often replaced with brick or cellular concrete. The next floor and attic are traditionally built from larch or pine trunks.

Modern houses in the power of a chalet are characterized by glazing surfaces in large volumes. This justifies itself. Indeed, in the presence of picturesque landscapes around, there is a desire to admire them and follow what is happening in nature from all angles, and this is possible only with the arrangement of panoramic windows. The problems of bad weather do not bother us as much as the Alpine shepherds, who are forced to be content with small windows, and the latest models of double-glazed windows are able to withstand any load and test.

Modern chalets tend to skyward, but at the same time remain firmly planted on the ground. New projects offer glazing of their facades, verandas and terraces. This gives the buildings a clearer shape and adds to their appearance of conciseness. The feeling of reliability looking at the house arises on an intuitive level. The feeling of security does not leave those inside for a minute.

It is not difficult to recognize houses built in the chalet style. Their main distinguishing feature is an unusual roof. The overhangs of its roof protrude far beyond the walls, and this gives the building a striking beauty. This type of roof has two purposes:

1. Aesthetic.

2. Functional.

We have already mentioned the first one. The practicality of this roof design allows you to reliably protect the foundation from rainwater, and in winter a luxurious snow cap is collected on the slopes, which improves the thermal insulation properties of the roof and makes the house especially picturesque.

What else distinguishes the chalet from the local architecture is the traditional location relative to the cardinal points.The main facade should be oriented to the east. Living rooms are designed in such a way that they are evenly illuminated by the sun during the day.

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A few words about the roof of the chalet

“In chalet-style houses, they don’t know what damp basements and first floors are”

Since the roof strongly hanging over the house is the most remarkable architectural feature, I would like to dwell on its role in more detail. The purpose of the side "canopies" is to protect the facade of the building from climatic disasters. Being under such shelter, the walls of the house and its foundation do not suffer from the destructive power of the sun, winds and precipitation. Roofing can be carried out up to 3 meters, so that rainwater runoff will occur far from the building. That is why in chalet-style houses they do not know what damp basements and the first floor are. This, in turn, contributes to the prolongation of the life of the house.

The roof structure of the chalet provides for remote visors. They hang over the verandas and serve as protection for those on them from snow and rain.

Important! Looking very impressive, the roof still manages not to make the structure heavier, however, for greater reliability, the construction of consoles, as additional supports for roof overhangs, should not be abandoned.

Bearing in mind that houses created in the chalet style require the obligatory arrangement of an attic, you need to be puzzled by the right choice of insulation and coating, only in this case living in the attic will be comfortable. Any modern materials with thermal insulation properties can serve as a heater, although you can go the other way and use reeds for this purpose. It is laid between the rafters and hemmed from below with drywall. You can use wooden lining as a cladding. Natural insulation will be perfectly ventilated, so you don’t have to worry about the formation of condensate.

Such roof structures are traditionally crowned with shingles (wooden tiles). It is produced in a wide range, but shingles from:

1. Aspens.

2. Larches.

3. Oak.

4. Cedar.

Gaunt is an excellent noise absorber and a real long-liver. It is attached to the roofing with dowels and staples. Over the years, the shingle acquires a silvery hue, which allows the houses to blend in even better with the surroundings.

It would seem that everything is fine, but wooden tiles are too expensive material, which forces us to look for a compromise solution. The best replacement for it in our conditions can be:

1. Larch shingle.

2. Straw.

3. Reeds.

4. Ceramic tiles.

5. Flexible tiles.

6. Composite roofs imitating shingles.

7. Natural shingles.

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Organization of space at home in the style of a chalet

When planning an unusual cottage, try to keep it traditional. On the ground floor, place the living room, kitchen, utility rooms. Bedroom - move to the attic. For greater comfort, equip there an additional bathroom with a shower. Install the stairs leading upstairs in the hallway.

Features of interior decoration

“In chalet-style houses, ceilings are sewn up with wood and floors are laid”

The chalet is a real rustic style, with all the elements inherent in it. The principle of simplicity and practicality is strictly observed here. Finishing features are manifested in everything: in the decoration of ceilings, floors, walls, as well as in furniture and textiles.Ceiling and support beams, open fire and natural materials remain unchanged attributes.

In order to recreate a specific atmosphere, the wood used in interior decoration is prepared in a special way, treated with specific compounds to give it the right color and add a worn look. In chalet-style houses, ceilings are sewn up with wood and floors are laid. The first ones are necessarily decorated with rough beams protruding sharply into space. The walls are plastered and whitewashed. If you want to get the most comfortable interior, then decorate all surfaces with wood.

The floor laid out by a board is not painted. It is left in its original form. Stone can be an alternative to a board. A carpet on the floor is a must. It should be large and high pile. Carpets can be replaced with animal skins.

The interiors of the chalet are not just cozy, they also offer maximum space. Large windows, not cluttered with pompous designs of curtains, will help to ensure this. Curtains in Alpine decor should be made of natural, with a simple pattern, fabrics. Their tailoring also should not be ornate.

Chalet color palette

The main range of colors for chalet-style home design is a mixture of natural shades. The background spectrum is brown in all its manifestations: from naturally light colors to deep dark ones. Its addition is dark grassy shades and burgundy with rich red. Colorful accents are acceptable in accessories, but again, these should be natural tones. The colors of pinkish sunset twilight and the color of juicy foliage will be well perceived. Such additions should be introduced very sparingly so as not to destroy the “simplicity” of the general background.

furniture sketches

Forget about French lightness and sophistication in the setting, Alpine-style furniture should amaze with massiveness and rudeness. Angular sideboards and wardrobes, large chairs and large tables - these are the ideal items for furnishing such interiors. And no pretentious accessories and glamor in the form of ruffles and frills! The simple simplicity of the chalet is disgusted by high-tech cabinets and transforming furniture. Such models are the prerogative of high-tech rather than this measured and time-lost style.

But worn sofas and armchairs, covered with leather and equipped with massive wooden armrests, without metal and plastic inserts, will bring with them exactly the mood that everyone expects from a house dear to the heart, interpreted in the style of a chalet. Such chairs should have comfortable backs, and woody areas should not have varnishing. No gloss, only matte surfaces. Everything in the room should be conducive to relaxation.

A good solution would be to furnish the premises with antique wooden furniture without legs. Their form is angular and rough, as required by stylistic canons.

Books should be placed on wooden shelves. Lay out things in massive chests of drawers, attracting with chopped features of simple facades.

Look for a kitchen table with a stone top in the setting. If such an instance cannot be obtained, then stop at a model from a tree array. Kitchen cabinets and shelves should show the texture of natural wood, so there is nothing for painted products to do in a chalet kitchen.

The bedroom is also not distinguished by the luxury of the situation.Get ready to sleep on a large wooden bed filled with natural linen or cotton linen. Its decoration will be a woolen bedspread. In the interior, it is allowed to place a wardrobe and cabinets and nothing more. No frivolity in this matter.

The bathroom, like all other rooms, is also not overloaded with furniture. You will have to limit yourself to installing a simple nightstand where towels and personal care items will be folded.

What is not uncommon in chalet interiors is wicker furniture. She appears in them in traditional pastel colors and fills the atmosphere with notes of lightness, becoming an excellent counterbalance to massive upholstered furniture and oak cabinets. Wicker vases, baskets and lampshades will help to synchronize the atmosphere.

Do not forget about the naturalness of the materials used. Give preference to leather, wood, fur and fabric. Avoid synthetics and leatherettes. Do not use new furniture in chalet-style home decor. The purchased remake must first be aged using a special technology, then the effect of its presence will be simply amazing. Believe me, the spirit of the chalet is much more in a sun-bleached chair or cracked leather sofa upholstery than in the sparkling gloss of a polished surface.

We place accents

An important part of the decor of the Alpine house is the fireplace. No other element can bring with it such an exact resemblance to a rural abode. Usually fireplaces are decorated with living rooms, placing them under one of the walls or in the corner, however, no one forbids you to make an original move and install a hearth in the center of the hall.

I would like to remind you that people who worked on the land once lived in nice little houses, who had the opportunity to engage in folk crafts. In light of this, in the rough interior of a chalet-style house, there will always be a place for things created by oneself. Embroidered pillows, wooden candlesticks, patchwork bedspreads, collected from the remnants of various fabrics - each item is worthy of becoming an element of decor. The emptiness of the mantelpiece will be smoothed out by a clay vase fashioned at your leisure.

If you want to give the interior a resemblance to a hunter's house, you should add the heads of trophy animals and imitation, and possibly real guns, to its space. An excellent place for their location would be the wall above the fireplace. To smooth out the aggressiveness emanating from such decorations, you need to arrange vases with bouquets of dried flowers in the room.

Underfloor heating technology will not be available to every home. The situation will be saved by a skin spread on cold stones, replacing a fluffy carpet.

Chalet lighting

Light is the finishing touch to any renovation. In the case of a chalet, lighting should be as close to natural as possible. Provided that the windows are large enough and a lot of light penetrates through them, a single ceiling lighting element may be enough for you, otherwise you will have to solve the issue of a multi-track chandelier. The style of the chalet is disgusted by the brightness of directional light, which destroys the peaceful environment, so be puzzled by the organization of a diffused light flux, which will require not only specific lamps, but also unusual lamps to recreate it.

When buying lamps, look closely at their design. They should harmonize with the general interior solution. If the lamps are conspicuous and stand out sharply against the background of the rest of the decor, then the compositional integrity will be lost.The perfect match to the style is demonstrated by lamps resembling candelabra. Specially for them, they also produce light bulbs of a specific shape, resembling a candle in their appearance. To add even more coziness to the atmosphere, use floor lamps. Install in them non-cutting eyes with the intensity of the luminous flux of the lamp and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere.

A special place is given to candles in the lighting of the alpine house. Burning candles in combination with the sparkling flames of the fireplace will give the room a unique charm. It will be a truly living light, giving peace and tranquility.

Rules are rules, but their requirements should not affect the comfort of the household. If you see fit, then install several lighting fixtures in the rooms at once. In the bedroom, for example, a sconce or a table lamp will not interfere. You can also highlight the zones of the room with light, the main thing is to do it gently.

We arrange the surrounding area

Houses in the Alpine style are usually located in wooded areas, where the concept of a courtyard area is a very vague concept. It is almost impossible to figure out where the master's territories end and the wild forest begins. But this does not mean at all that it is not necessary to equip the house adjoining territory in the style of a chalet, but the main point in the design of landscape design will be the minimum adjustment of the natural features of the area. The presence of a human hand can be felt only near the house.

The most popular solutions are gazebos and terraces that allow you to enjoy your time outdoors. Wooden flooring or stone platforms are equipped with wicker furniture. For maximum comfort, stoves are installed, the aesthetics of which can not only be admired, but also used in a more primitive way, preparing a variety of dishes in them.

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Conclusion

Chalet-style houses are simplicity in the smallest details. Although they are considered rural buildings for their rough beauty, the nobility and sophistication of their design sometimes leads to a real aesthetic trance. Do not deprive yourself of the pleasure of getting closer to real nature, because today it is not easy for residents of megacities to do this!

Photo gallery - chalet-style houses

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