Weller Interior Design is a design studio based in London and Gloucestershire, led by interior designer Caz Knight.
The chalet project showcased below was a finalist in the 2020 SBID International Design Awards.
This chalet was a new-build project constructed on the stone-vaulted foundations of an existing barn.
The brief from the client was to design a mountain home that would be hospitable, comfortable and resilient enough for rental, yet to be in harmony with the expansive and striking beauty of the mountain-top views visible from every window.
Textures and materials were chosen to enhance the sense of place - pure wools, local stone, artisanal ironwork, unpainted plaster and reclaimed woods. Furnishings and colours were carefully curated to create an authentic, understated, relaxed yet chic interior.
Monthly site visits meant that important details did not get overlooked. All meetings were conducted in French.
We hope you enjoy looking at the chalet as much as we enjoyed creating it.
The chalet was built in traditional style to blend seamlessly with the ancient buildings of this alpine hamlet.
This stunning room with far-reaching mountain-top views on two sides encompasses a dining area and two seating areas.
A fluidly shaped bespoke sofa, comfortable swivel chairs and visually lightweight chairs enable the sitting area to focus on the fireplace by night but also encompass the stunning views by day. The fluidity of this area is contrasted by an inky blue 'games corner' seating area.
A ‘live edge’ dining table, to seat up to 14 people supports this sense of movement and the striking pendants over it although large are shallow so do not obstruct the views.
We sourced the the stunning kitchen of old wood and Fenix finishes in London and the worktops from a French stone mason locally. A Time Life magazine image that belonged to the client was turned into a mural for the breakfast nook. Upholstery fabrics in the nook are indoor/outdoor fabrics for maximum longevity. Pendants give intimate evening lighting. Simple woollen blinds and curtains of pure English wool are warm and tactile and classic, at the same time a being completely contemporary in presentation.
The 5-storey staircase is a powerful linking motif in the chalet. Weller Interior Design worked with a French blacksmith to create an uninterrupted and fluid handrail with no newel posts. A British blacksmith made the spacer device at the top of the chalet which made the stairwell pendant possible.
The bedrooms and bathrooms have a unifying design theme throughout. Deeply comfortable beds were given a clean upholstery finish. We deployed items of vintage furniture in many bedrooms to ground the schemes, all from British Designers inspired by Danish design. Bespoke bedspreads of Italian wool in different colourways for each space coordinate with artisan made scatter cushions and woollen throws. Definition and gleam come from black and polished brass pendants.
Weller Interior Design undertook the bathroom design and joinery detailing throughout the chalet
The master suite occupies the top floor and provides a retreat for the hosts. It includes the master bedroom, two bathrooms and a private salon. In this rooftop space dominated by the view you can recline on an @AmySomerville yeti chaise; life doesn’t get a lot better!
Robust, practical design is needed for areas like this. The upholstery fabric on the bench seat can stand up to the rough and tumble. Good looking ironmongery adorns cupboards and drawers of suncream, tissues, mini Mars Bars and other ski necessities.
The chalet was a new-build project constructed on these stone-vaulted foundations of a former barn. The challenge was to visually integrate the crisp new-build upper levels of the chalet with the historic vaulted basement level of stone and hemp plaster.
We chose timber cladding on internal partition walls, and raw plaster with a stabiliser finish on the outer walls to establish a simplicity of materials that would relate to the nature of the basement but was also contemporary in feel.
This, together with a limited palette of repeating textures and colours in the furnishings unifies the upper floors of the chalet with the rustic textures of the ‘Voutes’.