Dreaming of chalets: could it be more than a dream?

I have!!!

Yes, for a long time now…

Since my first vacation in the French Alps as a child and later during my two week stay in a gite, my love for chalets has grown.

 

Was it because I was seduced by the lovely green or red shutters, the geraniums on the balconies, the many cows roaming around the chalet or the green or snowy mountain panoramas?

Was it because I imagined myself sitting in the log cabin next to the fireplace with a blanket, drinking hot chocolate and watching the snow fall after an amazing day hiking or after a sunny skiing day?

Each time I drive to Grindelwald in Switzerland, each time I hike on the snowy paths in the mountains and I see chalet roof tops covered with snow, I dream of my own chalet.

Maybe you just returned from Europe seduced by the look of all of the alpine homes or remember a trip taken with your parents when you were a child.

What is a chalet?

 

 

It is a wooden home or a cabin. The word cottage, lodge or bungalow often describes it. Most often you think of those beautiful lodges in alpine regions like in the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps.

But you can also find chalets in the United States in ski resorts such as in Aspen, Sun Valley, Vail and Big Sky. The word chalet in the US is often used to describe a restaurant in a resort.

It does not even have to be in a mountainous area. Beach resorts in America use the word too. My aunt and uncle lived almost all their life in a chalet in the middle of France!

Chalet architecture and characteristics:

Here is what I think about when the word chalet comes to mind:

• exposed beams
• low slope roof
• mountain items to decorate the inside and outside like cow bells
• bright colored balustrades with designs such as snowflakes or flowers like the edelweiss
• flower boxes on the porch

 

 

• noisy floor in old chalets
• stacked up woods logs on the outside
• inscriptions with names, dates or full sentences on some chalet facades.

 

How are they made?

Style changes depending on the materials available in the regions. It can look different if it is in Tyrol in Austria, Graubunden in Switzerland or Chamonix in France.

They are made to last a long time. Roofs can also be made of thatch, slates, limestones, or tiles.

Chalets are made of wood. You have about 10 % more room than with concrete. They are also cheaper to warm up and wood is a less expensive material to buy to build a house.

What kind of wood is used to build chalets?

• Red cedar, robinia, larch, douglas firs, spruces and pine.
• Since 1984 less oak, mahogany, tropical woods or other African woods are used.
• More light woods such as beech, birch and maple are used.
• Wood comes from forest of Africa, South America and North America.
• Timber lasts a long time.

Some wood is better than others for terrace, inside or outside. It is graded from 1 to 5 and one knows which one to use. One small problem with wood is that it can become infected with insects or fungus and it has to be treated.

 

Where do you find chalets?

Some villages around Europe are now building more and more modern apartments, sometimes very high. It is a shame for the charming villages they once used to be. Some places have less and less chalets.

Luckily villages and towns have old chalets and new ones are being built. In France, for instance we have traditional chalets in Combloux, Megève, Val Thorens, Le Grand Bornand and La Clusaz. In Switzerland, you find old chalets in Grindelwald, Klosters and Zermatt. In Grindelwald, almost all of the chalets are family run chalets. In Austria, I noticed some chalets in the region of Vorarlberg in St. Anton, Schruns and Bartholomäberg. Some say that Austrian chalets are nicer than the French and Swiss, but it can be a matter of taste.

Zermatt chalets:

I spent some time in Zermatt this summer and could not resist looking at the chalets. At the end of the pedestrian zone, you will find some beautiful chalets. Then continue going up and you will see some neighborhoods with old and new chalets. You can see how the oldest ones were built and elevated on stones.

 

 

History of chalets

It started in Europe in early 18th century. Chalets used to be located mainly on hills in the alpage (high mountain pasture), but today there are built everywhere in winter and summer resorts.

The first floor was used for the cows. Logs were also stacked outside to keep warm.

The American John Rieben did an intense research about chalets, fascinated by the architecture. He spent hours reading books, looking at drawings and talking to people. His ancestors were from Lenk, Switzerland so he visited the Swiss Alps often and even went to the open air museum of Ballenberg near Interlaken. He finally made a model and built his own place in New Glarus, Wisconsin, about 10 years ago.

 

In the 1930’s in America to compete with French and Austrian resorts, builders and investors started building chalets in ski resorts like Aspen and Sun Valley. Chalets with names such as Highland Bavarian lodge, Challenger ski lodge were built. It continued after WWII in the 1950’s with Norway Lodge and Mountain Chalet. Some of these old chalets still exist today in Aspen, Colorado.

If it was originally for farmers who brought their cow up on the fields for the spring-summer, chalets are nowadays used by everyone. Some are bought to be hotels, vacation homes or places to live year round.

Chalets don’t have to be a place with little comfort like in the olden days but can be a cosy place for the holidays.

Old chalets are constantly being renovated and you can rent or buy a property completely modern, luxurious inside while the outside remains rustic.

Yes hotel-chalets in the Alps are made with all the comfort, amenities and entertainment you can imagine: fireplaces, billiard room, mini-club for the children, fitness room, bars, spas and even large swimming pools. Some rooms have bathrooms as big as the bedroom itself with large Jacuzzis. Heaven!!!

 

 

 

I can’t imagine a better place to spend my holidays!

• architecture
• Chalet
• France
• gite
• Switzerland
• wood
• Zermatt