Head for Heights

HOMES & INTERIORS HEAD FOR HEIGHTS DETAILS What A six-bedroom A luxurious, cleverly designed bespoke chalet in the French Alps has enough architect-designed timber house drama and glamour to match its illustrious neighbour, Mont Blanc Where Chamonix, French Alps Words Gillian Welsh Photography Liz Lees 178 HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND 179 HOMES & INTERIORS BIGGEST CHALLENGE “Waiting for the furniture to arrive – it was coming in trucks uphill in winter and we really weren’t sure it was going to make it” From its airy perch high on the frontier between France and Italy, Chamonix has always been among the top ski resorts in the Alps. Not for nothing is it twinned with Colorado’s super- chic celeb-magnet, Aspen. Surrounded by jaw- dropping peaks, most notably the immense sculpted beauty of Mont Blanc, and blessed with some of the most thrilling skiing in the region, Chamonix is a perennial favourite with ski enthusiasts from all over the world. Jennifer Martin, a businesswoman from Edin - burgh, is well aware of the town’s appeal – a keen skier all her life, she now has her own chalet there, Cragganmore. “My husband Graham and I have always loved skiing,” she says. “Over the years, before we met and then afterwards with our children, we spent so many holidays in the mountains. We’d rent apartments and chalets in all sorts of different resorts, but never thought for a minute about getting our own place. Then, on one trip, we stayed here in Chamonix with friends and we suddenly fell in love with it. We’d been here before, of course, but this time it was different somehow, and we just knew it would be great to have a chalet of our own that we could also rent out as a business.” They set about the quest initially by looking for a chalet to buy and renovate but found few for sale that appealed. One day, though, they spotted a sign by the side the road above the town, half- hidden by foliage: “Land for sale”. A little digging revealed that the patch of ground, overgrown with saplings and mature trees, belonged to an ៑ A Twiggy floorlamp by Foscarini, an Axel sofa by Montis and Tom, Dick & Harry armchairs by Boss create a relaxed hangout. The rugs were found in Chamonix and the woodburner was by designed by architect Renaud Chevallier and made by a local blacksmith HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND 181 HOMES & INTERIORS “WE KNEW THAT IF WE WANTED TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY, WE HAD TO USE LOCAL ARTISANS. THAT WAS FINE WITH US – THE PEOPLE HERE TAKE HUGE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK” [Left ] Inside Out made the bespoke dining table, which is matched with Catifa chairs by Arper. [ Below ] A Boss armchair and BoConcept cushion sits next to a Miura table by Konstantin Grcic. [ Right ] A glimpse of a Barcelona sofa from the lobby old-established Chamonix family who were happy to let Jennifer and Graham take it on. A friend in the area recommended a local architect, Renaud Chevallier, and he and Jennifer hit it off straight away. “We spent the whole day talking, in my broken French and his broken English, discussing our likes and dislikes and what we thought would work on my plot,” she says. “We drove around all the towns in the region, looking at all the buildings and at what worked and what didn’t. We were both of the opinion that the mountains were the crucial thing here – whatever else, you’d want to see them from your house. And there are an awful lot of properties here with small windows!” Renaud’s plans for the chalet were very much centred around the views. Double-height windows and sliding doors opening on to extensive terraces are a principal feature of the house, so much so that it’s nicknamed the Glass House by many of the locals. Permission had to be sought from the mayor of Chamonix before any work could begin – there are very strict rules governing what can and cannot be built in these alpine villages – but the response was favourable. In fact, the mayor has turned out to be one of ៑ 182 HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND HOMES & INTERIORS A lot of local timber was used in the chalet’s construction, including several trees from the plot itself. [ Left ] The airy double- height living area shows off the house’s scale to great effect. [ Above ] If you really can’t leave work behind, at least the office has an Eames chair in yellow leather from Vitra, a glass desk on trestles from Habitat and a Peel reading lamp from CTO Lighting Cragganmore’s biggest admirers, and not just because “I knew the décor and the furnishings would have to of the number of visitors it attracts to the town. stand up to quite a bit more wear and tear than normal, The wood used in the construction was from the and that I’d have to choose pieces that could cope with surrounding area, as were the tradesmen who put the this – pieces that I might not have picked if it was going house together. “We knew that if we wanted to be part to be for my sole use.” of the community, it was very important to use local With this in mind, she decided to seek some outside artisans rather than bringing outsiders in. That was fine help. Enter Glasgow-based firm Rehab Interiors and its with us – the people here take huge pride in their work,” chief designers Lee Sowerbutts and Anna Murray. The says Jennifer. “And we were happy to make use of local project was fairly challenging initially, and not just materials – the main staircase, for example, was a tree because the house in question was halfway up a that we cut down to make room for the chalet.” mountain in another country, as Anna explains. It took a year to complete the build, with Renaud “We came on board before the build was complete, so project-managing and Jennifer making regular trips we had to try to visualise the spaces and design the over to keep an eye on things and think about how she interior in an abstract way. You couldn’t just walk in and was going to decorate the interior. The main issue, as look and feel and understand the space – the building she saw it, was making it suitable not just for her own was still just a shell. So you have to use your mind’s eye, family but for those who would be renting it. which is not especially rare in this business, but it ៑ HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND 185 HOMES & INTERIORS “THE MOUNTAINS required quite a bit more effort in this case because the house There was an extra difficulty: “We had to come up with itself is pretty unusual.” colours and textures that would work in both summer and ARE THE CRUCIAL Rehab put together some mood boards for each of the rooms winter.” THING HERE – – “Things we thought would be cool for a project like this,” says That’s because unlike the majority of ski resorts, Chamonix is WHATEVER ELSE, Lee – and discussed their ideas with Jennifer. They quickly busy all year round. As soon as the winter snows start to melt, YOU WANT TO SEE grasped what sort of style she was looking for. outdoors enthusiasts arrive to risk life and limb rafting, THEM FROM YOUR “I didn’t want gingham and antlers and the usual chalet look,” canyoning, ice climbing and mountain biking. “We used to stay laughs Jennifer, “but I also didn’t want it to look ‘interior at Val d’Isère but it’s really just a winter resort,” says Jennifer. WINDOWS” designed’.” “This place in comparison is buzzing 12 months of the year.” That suited Rehab: “We like to create zones for real life. This is But whatever you’re doing out on the slopes, whether hurtling not a set, it’s a proper house that people live in.” down on a snowboard or a mountain bike, you’ll be craving [Top ] Luxurious bathrooms are clad in As the building work neared completion, Lee and Anna comfort and pampering when you get back to base, and rough-hewn natural stone tiles. [ Left and visited the site to finalise their ideas. They were impressed by Cragganmore is very well equipped on that score. The living opposite ] The bedrooms have wallpaper what they found: “The living area is all glass, and the view area centres on a spectacular woodburning stove that is by Cole & Son and Osborne & Little, influences the inside of the house,” says Anna. “But although it’s suspended from the ceiling. Its roaring flames will thaw out any throws by Anta and BoConcept cushions a large and generous space, the angles and the glass mean it’s frozen toes that the underfloor heating has missed. Gathered not a conventional room to furnish.” around the fire is a selection of comfortable yet stylish sofas ៑ HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND 187 [Above ] The cinema room invites lounging thanks to the BoConcept sofas. The oak and walnut Flint coffee tables are by Montis and the Farah sideboard is by E15. The wallcovering is by Tektura. [ Below ] The well-equipped gym with its climbing wall. [ Opposite ] The sauna and massage room and armchairs. Behind them are those magni ficent vistas down the valley and up to the mountains. There is plenty of wood in this room – the floor, the walls, even the beamed ceilings – but there is not the slightest hint of being in a traditional orange-hued, pine- clad chalet.

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