Since ancient times, shepherds lived in the Alps, who sought to build the most comfortable and reliable dwellings for their families. Chalet - this is a rural house in the mountains.
Experts believe that the first chalet appeared in the south-east of France, near the border with Switzerland and Italy. True, the French consider him a "Swiss house." Therefore, projects of houses in the chalet style are rightly called Alpine.
Quickly enough, small residential buildings in the mountains became very popular. The same can be said about the interior decoration of such houses. Over time, the interior of the chalet became more and more solid, but at the same time its design features and traditional characteristics did not change. Chalets are still very warm, reliable and somewhat romantic houses. According to psychologists, such houses in beautiful places near the mountains build romance.
Another powerful argument in favor of the growing popularity of the chalet can be considered the mass enthusiasm of many people for different types of skiing and active recreation at resorts and ski resorts.
Today such houses are being built everywhere in Canada, Germany, the USA and, of course, in Russia. They are erected even where there are no mountains and nearby. A striking example of such a development is the Moscow Region, where entire villages are built in the Alpine style.
Naturally, a person’s desire to live in environmentally friendly housing. Alpine houses are built only from solid wood. Finishing them also allows the use of only wood, excluding plastic or metal. In some cases, stone or brick can be used to finish the first floor.
A chalet is a house that even differs from other rural buildings from the outside. It has a special roof: gable, strongly protruding above the walls of the building. This design is not accidental - it reliably protects the house from getting wet and heavy (in the mountains) snowfalls.
There are also special features in the interior of the chalet. This is primarily rural comfort and simplicity. Previously, from the inside, the surface of the walls of the alpine house was not further processed - natural stone and wood were the decoration of the home. Later, the walls began to be plastered, and in some cases even painted, and the walls of wood were decorated with carvings and varnished.
However, despite some changes in the interior, chalet-style houses, the designs of which are already being created by modern specialists, invariably retain their characteristic features. This is a kind of country style. In its interior, you can easily see alpine motifs: conifers, mountain flowers and so on.
These motifs can be reflected in textiles, decor of floors and walls (skins and horns on the walls emphasize style). Doors are usually decorated with wreaths of dry mountain plants - herbs or flowers. In the kitchen, as a rule, a large number of clay dishes.
Specially aged chalet floors are especially attractive. The flooring in the alpine house is a massive board, not painted, not varnished. In the kitchen, bathroom, floors can be tiled with natural stone.
On the ceilings in the chalet there are always large beams of solid wood - dark, not bleached. The ceiling is also wooden.