The journey to create a boutique ski chalet is one filled with passion, exhaustion and, for many, filled with highs and lows. We love to check in with projects as they’re coming along so that we can get a real feel for the inspiration behind a project and to truly learn the ins-and-outs of a chalet.
Making Chalet Twenty 26 one of the premier mountain residences in the Portes du Soleil is the goal that the owners, Chris and Sarah, have set their sights on. With this being a ‘sneak preview’ it’s impossible to give a true indication of what the atmosphere will be like at Twenty 26, but we’re anticipating a chalet with a design and service both reflective of the owners’ personality as they will be actively involved in the day-to-day running of the property.
Chris and Sarah set about their mission to create a superb chalet last year and decided upon the resort of Morzine for its traditional Savoyard charms and location in the Portes du Soleil. The skiing is some of the best around with the villages and towns of this huge interlinked ski area spanning both France and Switzerland.
Chris has previously worked in London as a management consultant and is also a serial property developer. It stands to reason that these two traits make for a good match when launching a chalet company, as he’ll be able to turn advice into practice and use the skills he’s built up with previous developments to make sure that Chalet Twenty 26 is finished to the highest spec. Sarah is a foodie and has always been around the culinary arts with her mum training aspiring chefs while she was growing up. This, combined with her eye for art and interior design, will make sure that no detail is overlooked when it comes to service – we’re expecting the food to be top notch (actually we’re rather excited to try some sample menus and will report back once we’ve had a taste.) Sarah is also a physiotherapist and has always had a passion for sport and the mountains.
Chalet Twenty 26 is located under half a kilometre away from the main lift at Nyon and guests will either be able to stroll down to the lifts or use the chalet’s chauffeured service to get there or head to one of the other lift hubs in Morzine. The centre of town is just a few minutes away from the chalet.
The view from the chalet is uninterrupted and, we think, pretty impressive. The chalet has over five thousand square metres of land attached to it that rolls down to the river Dranse, so there will be extensive gardens. Whilst it’ll probably take a few years for these to be at their peak they will make the chalet a great summer retreat and the owners have big landscaping plans. Some of the areas will certainly be ready for next summer so it’ll be ideal for those who like cycling and golf or just lazing in the mountain sun.
Chris drew up some of his own living room mock-ups of what the chalet might look like. Whilst they probably don’t do the end result justice they certainly provide an insight into the the space. I’d be drawing the rooms non-stop if it were my chalet.
The chalet will have a spacious open plan living area with a feature wood burner and a wrap around balcony. Chris is a self-confessed techie so there will be plenty of gadgetry everywhere with Wi-Fi Internet throughout, satellite television and on- demand streaming music and movies linking to the living areas and bedrooms. On top of this there will in the near future be a cinema and games room wired up with HD projector and multiple games consoles on the lower ground floor. The chalet will also have all the equipment needed for corporate entertainment and business.
Chalet Twenty 26 has five good-sized en-suite bedrooms, examples of which you can see in the CAD drawings above and below brilliantly composed by Snohomes. All of the bedrooms will have the best quality mattresses available – 1500 pocket sprung and memory foam covered – very comfy, and the flexibility of being configured as both kings or twins. The linens will be Egyptian cotton from the White Company (everyone seems to love the White Company in chalets).
Although the chalet’s spa facilities aren’t confirmed yet they’re sure to include an outdoor hot-tub sunk into a multi tiered deck and barrel sauna. There’s also scope in the cellar for more spa features but these will probably make an appearance in a year or two. Plenty for now we think though.
