Contemporary St Moritz Ski Chalet Design by Nicky Dobree Interior Design
In Autumn 1864 – or so legend has it – hotelier Johanes Badrutt made a daring bet with some of his last remaining English summer guests. He promised that even in winter they would be able to enjoy the mild Engadin sunshine in their shirtsleeves. If not he would reimburse them their travel costs. So his friends came back to the upper Engadin at Christmas and it was not until Easter that they headed home, tanned and relaxed. They became the first winter tourists of the Alps. Thus the winter season in St Moritz was born.
Today people flock from all corners of the globe to enjoy the sunshine, the champagne air (so refreshing it gives you a high) and the glamour. For decades it has been the pristine snowy preserve of the jet set; Alfred Hitchcock, Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo, Liz Taylor and the Kennedy family were regular visitors. But in spite of its fashionable five star status and reputation for wild parties, St Moritz has retained much of its original charm and at its heart is quite a sleepy village. The traditional houses of the upper Engadin with their thick stone walls, small funnel shaped windows and sgraffito decoration, give the town its unmistakeable character and today these houses rub shoulders with the winter retreats of the world’s most exclusive celebrities, making it a very special place to be.
St Moritz though is also a place of innovation and high achievement. It was home to Switzerland’s first electric light bulb and to Europe’s First palace Hotel. More recently full moon skiing, polo on the snow and yoga on the slopes were introduced. But above all St Moritz is best known for its Cresta Run. A madcap toboggan race founded in 1884 by a league of extraordinary gentlemen. So it is against this backdrop that I too was to innovate and push the boundaries in chalet design.
Being one of the most sought after chalet locations in the world, property is not easy to come by. The owners of this lakeside chalet had been coming to St Moritz all their life and acquired a plot of land in the highly prized region of Silvaplana. We worked from the ground up, to design and build what has now become their family Alpine home.
The initial concept from the Architect was to design something that was very brutal and minimalist in concept and not at all in keeping with the local architecture, nor what the client wanted. Whilst the exterior remained very modernist my challenge was to inject the chalet with as much warmth, individuality and local character as possible whilst maintaining a strong contemporary look. I had around 300 m2 spread over 3 storeys to work with, in which I had to include 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms with a vast open plan living area that has with epic views over Lake Silvaplana.
I drew much of my inspiration from these life enhancing views - the shimmering lake, the dense green woodland, and the snow-capped mountains beyond. Enlisting an army of talented German craftsmen we sourced the finest quality natural materials - timber, stone, leather, copper and glass to design a chalet with a twist. Clever lighting and inventive techniques bought all these raw materials to life. On the exterior I softened the brutality by cladding parts in timber and using the traditional sgaffito decoration. These elaborate ornamentions are scratched out of the plaster whilst it is still damp and show up beautifully thanks to the contrast between the dark and the light tones of the two plaster colours. The technique originated from Italy and was brough to the Upper Engadine by travelling craftsmen back in the 16th Century.
My client has a large family, is very sociable and loves to entertain. Creating an environment in which their guests could relax and enjoy was paramount. They are also avid art collectors so my vision needed to work alongside their eye catching pieces, such as the ‘Sushi console’ by the Campana brothers and the bronze coffee table in the sitting room by Ingrid Donat. During the course of the project we took on new bespoke commissions too including the Stag head over the stairs that leads down to spa and ski room. Solid brass wall lights from Valerie Wade adorn the wall of the lower staircase adding subtle light to compliment the low level lighting integrated into each tread, that guides you down the stairs. The Bronze sheep sourced from a local dealer watches through the glass.
Back up in the sitting room, the monolithic stone fireplace forms the focal point. Crocodile leather side tables and oriental style lanterns add a hint of the exotic. Blue sofas with contrasting tartan chairs provide ample comfortable seating, whilst a nod to the outdoors is ever present not only through the large picture windows but in the pine cones, collected from a walk around the lake, that fill the lamp bases, and the embroidered autumnal leaves on the cushions. This sense of place continues in the details throughout the chalet from the horn door handles, to the embroidered table linen and the stags etched on to the glassware.
Concealed lighting softly illuminates the ceiling beams accentuating the architecture of the roof. Fitted deerskin banquettes with blue and orange topstitching provide flexible seating arrangements for the dining area which flank a specially commissioned solid oak table with a subtle orange detail on the legs. A further five dining chairs upholstered in tartan and contrasting velvet corduroy mean that up to 12 guests can be entertained in comfort and style. The antler chandelier sits above the dining table to echo the hunting theme.
Bespoke cupboards were designed to house the china, cutlery and glassware and to act as a divide to the room screening off the Bulthaup kitchen beyond. The cupboard doors were upholstered in deerskin, also echoing the hunting heritage of the valley, and trimmed in Bronze.
As my client’s favourite colour is blue, the vibrant blue palette continues from the sitting room into the master bedroom. A combination of wool and cashmere inject a luxurious touch of warmth. The bedside tables were custom made in woven leather, on a walnut frame and finished with bronze handles.
In the guest bedroom there is a tonal play on blue too. This time we used a palette of softer powder blues which we carried through onto the bespoke bedding as well. The cashmere throw at the end of the bed picks up the accent of beige in the tartan curtains, and the blue border on the carpet grounds the scheme together. A locally sourced swiss chair, another lovely reminder of where you are.
We had to be much cleverer with the use of space in the children’s playroom. Moveable/stackable felt cubes provide plenty of seating and are perfect for making dens. The Sleigh style top bunks provides extremely useful extra sleeping accommodation for the many sleepovers that the children have.
Downstairs lies the ski room and spa featuring natural textured stone and timber. A traditional alpine chair placed adjacent to the stone wall adds a touch of local heritage. The overall effect is dramatic yet practical and of course underfloor heating makes slipping off your boots all the more pleasurable. A wooden cold water plunge tub was added to the sauna for those brave enough to have the full Scandi sauna experience.
So much of design is in the detail and the materials that you use. When designing a Chalet the choice of timber is probably one of the most important decisions that you will make as this will dramatically effect the look and feel of the finished home. Here we worked in Oak which is a much harder timber than the traditional pine and enabled us to work details which would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. The shadow gap is a good example seen here throughout the chalet around every architrave and skirting. The result is something much more tailored, more akin to a beautifully fitted suit.
Throughout all the walls have been finished in polished plaster and there is a special polished plaster feature wall on the stairs as it curves up to the sitting room.
The front door was custom made and carved by local craftsmen to reflect the character of the upper Engadin and today welcomes their family and friends all year around.