One of the best ways to enjoy the winter months is to embrace the cold and follow the snow. It’s the time of year to spend away from home at ski resorts or charming chalets, sipping hot cocoa in the evenings by a roaring fire, but unless you live in a ski mecca, the fun has to end at some point. Or, you can follow these design tips and bring that mountain flair back home.
Timber and Rock
Creating a cozy cabin vibe starts with the foundation of many ski lodges—literally. Built in the mountains, ski cabins are generally constructed with stone and timber. While tearing out a room and rebuilding with wooden beams and grand stone walls may be a little extreme, you can bring some of these touches into your space with stone or timber wall treatments like natural wood paneling. A stone fireplace is a classic lodge touch, but you can also simply make an accent wall using faux stone panels. Above all else, keep some rough edges. Chalet chic is about natural surfaces, not smooth finishes.
Furniture and Accessories
To continue the cabin feel, use a mixture of wooden and leather furniture. Natural wood creates an outdoor atmosphere, while leather is luxurious and comfortable. The appearance and texture of these materials combine to create the rough-and-ready spirit of the great outdoors with the comfort and warmth of a posh ski lodge. Add a roaring fire and warm drinks, and you’re in a rustic paradise. If you don’t have a fireplace, you can still recreate the feeling of warming up inside after a day on the slopes with the glow of candlelight. Use homey candle holders, or, to up the chicness, glamorous candelabras. Lighting is especially important during the dark winter months, so don’t skimp here. Analyze your space and provide both complementary general lighting and task lighting to make your lodge-inspired space comfortable and inviting.
Throw pillows and blankets are a great way to accessorize your ski-cabin space at home. An array of pillows provides luxurious comfort, making yourself and your guests cozy. Again, go for natural materials—natural fibers provide more appeal, and checkered and tartan patterns are a good choice for mountain-themed decorating. Throw pillows can also project your own personality, so add a novelty pillow or two that connect to your interests. Mountain ski cabins are about comfort, and since you’re at home, surround yourself with things you enjoy.
Nothing is better than cuddling under a warm blanket to read a book or watch a movie on long winter nights. Look for a rich woven throw, or a thick knitted one to toss over the back of a chair or couch.
Animals and Woodland Themes
With the great outdoors influencing the indoors, animal themes can boost the mountain vibe in your home. You can incorporate animal imagery in so many ways. You can easily find interesting framed prints to hang on the walls, whether they are classic deer and moose prints, or others like bears or mountain lions. You can even choose pillows and throws that are printed with your favorite mountain animal.
A woodland theme is also a popular choice for mountain chic décor, and again can be incorporated in many different ways. Look for lighting fixtures made out of or shaped like natural limbs and pieces of wood, like a chandelier or wall sconce of twisted branches. Replace your typical vase of flowers with arrangements of pinecones, conifer branches and winter berries, which is both decorative and aromatic. Use pine branches or garland to decorate sideboards, end tables, mantle pieces, and other areas. Even after you’ve removed your holiday decorations, these accents can remain as a backdrop for other winter accessories. Not only will you have fresh decorations for your winter lodge, your house will also smell like the clean outdoors.
If you can’t spend the entire winter away at a beautiful lodge, whooshing down freshly powdered slopes during the day and warming up by the fire at night, you can at least enjoy the ambiance all winter long. Combine natural textures of stone, wood, and leather with the right lighting and accessories, and you’ll have your own mountain retreat to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
Jennifer Prugh Visosky grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Even as a little girl, Jen had an eye for interior design. Having been blessed with parents who were their rules on what she could with her room, Jennifer changed it weekly. After many years of interior design and real estate development, Jen has founded Grace Home Design, where she focuses on naturally dramatic and strong-willed interior design projects.
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