Among the abundance of kitchen options, the chalet style stands out for its commitment to natural wood and stone, massive ceiling beams and rough textures. This design was most widespread in the mountainous regions of Europe, but today chalet-style cuisine is popular in our country as well.
The main design features and interior features of a chalet-style kitchen
Spruce wood, sandstone, granite quarry are the main building materials in mountainous regions. But a kitchen with imitation involves the use of only the visible side. Modern materials of the chalet style are subtle, exquisite, all their rudeness is deliberate. They are highly technological in processing.
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Floor tiles “for boot”, decorative wall materials resembling rough whitewash, tiles with “chips” are imitated by relief, texture, bulk glazes and granular compositions of chamotte ceramics.
Only heavy furniture, more often from hand-aged solid wood, remained authentic. The wood in the interiors under the chalet is always natural. You can recreate a hand-weaving pattern with a print, tin saucers - a patina, but plastic in wall decoration can never compete with the charm of shallow boards, which are ubiquitous in the chalet.
Board or plinth
When planning the floor, the designer considers the finish in a comprehensive manner. Factors are taken into account:
- diversity,
- rhythm of details,
- reflection from surfaces of light,
- restraint or frivolity of forms - depends on the taste preferences of the owners,
- cleaning method.
The variety is due to the undesirability of the effect that occurs with an excess of this or that material. The general rhythm is disturbed by too large parquet floors, small pebbles, bulky details that visually crush, destroying harmony.
A dark floor will not reflect onto the ceiling. The room will be dark, contrasting to the eyes. Excessive mosaicism will wash out its ascetic mood from the chalet.
They often walk in shoes - the tree does not like this. It is necessary to frequently cycle, varnish. Debris accumulates in the gaps of rough tiles - chores of a different nature. Optimal when average: slightly gray, unobtrusive, glaze, but no shine.
Half-timbered ceiling structures
Structures up to the ridge, without attic floors, hold back the Alpine winds. There you need it. But how acceptable is it, appropriate in the kitchen?
It is possible to open constructions when:
- the kitchen is on the last attic floor,
- the kitchen adjoins other rigid structures with a sloping roof.
The first case was written off as tracing paper: the entrance to the kitchen is through the second floor and above the living room. The second case is good when the kitchen plan is a hexagon. Then the beams go into the wall with rays.
All the examples described are not for high-rise apartments. Several polyurethane beams (repeating after a meter or a half) would be pointless if it were not for the possibility of inserting LEDs. Light from under the beam is especially popular. The 15 cm high polyurethane appears to be hanging, with a gap above it.
Wall decoration
The rule is: on the floor - a stone, above - a board. And vice versa. Without overusing either one or the other, you can add "stone", plank shelves. However, a separate pillar of plinths to the ceiling, "floating", elongated tiles, as well as vertical or inclined pillars also have a right to exist. Plus furniture.
Indicators are typical for normal construction and furnishings. Any "tilt" in one direction or another should be compensated for by the refusal of decor from some elements in favor of others. Besides shelves, beams, posts and tiles, color can be included. An unobtrusive shade will not become a decorative element. But a bright spot is already an accent.
Functional decor
Meissen porcelain (or a good fake for it) will decorate a plank wall with glitter glaze and variegated pattern. Woven napkins hanging in corners from the shelves are also very handy.
Religious inhabitants of the Alps keep all the year round what is related to Christmas, Easter and Annunciation. Statues of angels, the Virgin Mary, willow with ribbons, bright boxwood wreaths - all this is on display.
Textile
Wooden sofas are covered with goat red-white-black rugs. Homespun runners outline the table area. The curtains are mostly checkered. On them - brown, gray, orange. Fine weaving motifs in the kitchen of a chalet are rare. Very modern: stripes, squares!
Fireplace
Where there is a lot of firewood, the mouth of the fireplace is wide. Shallow fireplace: winters are snowy, but not very frosty. Therefore, the firebox with the chimney was often taken out. Hence the visibility of the entire beam structure: the stone is narrow, but the logs are massive. The fireplace is always crowned with an oak shelf.
Furniture
A sideboard with tureens behind glass, which are removed for a special occasion, is the pride of the hostess of the chalet's kitchen. Glass doors are frequent, convex, because they are self-leveling. Handles chiseled from pine, contour carving - that's all the mean decor.
On the shelves, you can hardly find consoles: the boards are fixed directly to the wall. The same artless table. But the long one is designed for households and lost skiers. Hearts on the backs of chairs are a decoration for ease of movement. The backs of the array are painfully heavy. The legs are chiseled, protruding to the sides. There is enough space in such a kitchen for a feast and for cooking.
Appliances
Progress does not stand still, designers are working to match the style:
- the brazier-fireplace with the letter G impresses with the tongues of flame behind the glass of the door,
- a stainless steel gas stove with a bronze chiseled handle,
- the refrigerator is hidden behind a wooden hinged panel,
- You don't need to hide the kebab maker, because the skewers are a fireplace theme.
Stylish little things
Everything that combines steel and wood is on display: trays, ladles, milk ladles, tongs and knife sets. Lighting devices are desirable cylindrical ("inverted basin") or rectangular grilles with embedded bulbs. Crossbars, hooks screw the headset to the apron, and the supporting wooden frame of the pyramidal hood is so wide that it can accommodate cups. The faience motif is pastoral.
Color solutions
In addition to sandy and golden woody, the chalet style involves the use of a grayish tint from bleached wood. A special development of modern designers makes it possible to avoid oversaturation of brown tones. The scarlet decor is as if faded. But endless cream options expand the range. Among the cold shades, preference should be given to a faint blue. It is especially good on an apron, if the ceramics are of the kind of “calico”.
Yellowish walls can aggravate the overall system, so gray from purple is preferable (weak cold tone). Joyful accents are white napkins on the dishes.
Advice:
- line the apron of the kitchen unit with wood-like tiles,
- order a tabletop slab from a stone agglomerate,
- a table, chairs and a kitchen set can be ordered from one customer from the same material.
