COURCHEVEL 1850 CHALET france WITH A BRIEF THAT CALLED FOR COMFORT RATHER THAN OPULENCE, BRIGITTA SPINOCCHIA FREUND DESIGNED THIS HANDSOME SKI LODGE WITH AN EARTHY PALETTE, TACTILE SURFACES, AND A FEW NODS TO THE NATURAL WONDERLAND BEYOND / By Emma Love photography by kate martin When London-based interior designer Brigitta Spinocchia Freund was asked to work on this eight bedroom, ski-in, skiout, new-build chalet in smart Courchevel 1850, her role involved everything from planning the room layout and designing the bespoke furniture to cross-checking the tiniest of details. The brief was to create a liveable, comfortable space that wasn t too opulent in its design, she says. The 1,000 sq m chalet project took two years to complete and is the second property she s worked on for these owners, giving her a certain head-start when it came to knowing their tastes and ideas. The quality of the detailing and the materials we use are probably the common threads that run through all our projects, but I think what we re best at doing is really looking into our clients lifestyles and DNA, says Spinocchia Freund, who set up her design studio in 2009 but has 16 years of experience in the industry. Looking at the owners lifestyle in this > 142/143 celebrating refined luxury issue 8 / 30 THE DESIGN FOR LIVING AWARDS ANNOUNCED / THE FINEST HOMES, FROM FLORIDA TO FRANCE / HOW BRITISH CRAFTSMANSHIP IS BOOSTING MANHATTAN REAL ESTATE / THE GLAMOUR OF ART DECO / NEW MODELS FROM ASTON MARTIN AND ROLLS-ROYCE / OSMAN: FASHION S THOUGHTFUL ORIGINAL / SOULFUL TRIPS IN SRI LANKA AND THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS / A NEW BEAUTY LEGEND / YACHTS WITH INNOVATION, HERITAGE AND STYLE
Icicle-like selenite crystals, each lit by LEDs, make up the appropriately wintry chandelier in the chalet. The Eden coffee table is by Boco do Lobo /ALTO/
Dramatic chandeliers made from selenite sourced from Morocco s Atlas mountains hang in the dining room, and are inspired by the images of icicles, snow and branches reflected by the view from the windows 144/145
BECAUSE THE NATURAL LIGHT FROM OUTSIDE IS VERY BRIGHT, IT ALMOST BLEACHES EVERYTHING OUT, SO YOU NEED WARM TONES case meant putting an emphasis on the from outside is so bright it almost bleaches art of entertaining. The prototype for the everything out, so you need warm tones. armchairs in the dining room was made Other living spaces include a basement three times to make sure that they were cinema, a steam room, and swimming pool suitable for both the husband (6 ft 5in) with soft lighting that washes in horizontal and his wife. The weight of the cutlery lines over the ceiling, relaxation beds and was tested to see what felt right for each of a cast-stone wall where every piece of stone them. And there were discussions with the has been painted to create shading, so it in-house chef about the number of guests looks like a textured surface. It s almost the couple usually have for dinner and how impossible to get large pieces of stone into the food is served. a basement and you would never know There s also a basement bar and a it s not the real thing, explains Spinocchia wine-tasting room on the ground floor Freund. A lot of basement swimming with a table made from half of a blackened pools can be dark and uninviting but we ve cedar log, and bar stools in almond gold used a combination of teak decking with and brass that were inspired by French neoprene inlay on the floor, frosted bronze 20th-century furniture designer Paul mirror on the walls, and the cast stone to Dupré-Lafon. We mixed brass, bronze, earth the whole room. almond gold and nickel finishes to create a Materials have also been carefully beautiful, elegant palette, says Spinocchia considered in other areas, from the walls Freund. Because the natural, white light panelled in French oak to the honey onyx > left: Earthy tones to counteract the bright, snow-reflected light and natural materials are relieved by highlights of almond gold and brass opposite: A slab of cedar creates the bar-top in the wine-tasting area; the chairs were inspired by the work of French designer Paul Dupré-Lafon 146/147
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basin in the powder room. There s an ombre-effect alpaca rug in the living room, and in the cinema, cream leather walls with shoelace stitching that help buffer the sound. Even the grey-stained, reclaimed oak stairs at the back of the house have been capped with brushed antique bronze on the edges, and cantilevered to let the light flow between them. The most show-stopping pieces are the three dramatic selenite chandeliers hanging in the dining room and the double-height space in the living room, which were inspired by images of icicles, snow and branches. Our first idea was to do something in Perspex that mimicked the dripping of ice, but it started to look incredibly naff, says Spinocchia Freund. So she brought artists (and friends) Lee Craik and Catherine Thomas on board and the pair went to the small town of Midelt in Morocco s Atlas mountains to source the selenite. They had mint tea with two Bedouins who discussed whether they would let them go into the mountain to collect the selenite. They were finally given access to a very sheltered area, she says. The chandeliers, which are lit by LEDs and fibre optics, took nearly four months each to make in the workshop. One of the challenges was trying to drill through the selenite, so that the LEDs would work all the way through. The light shines, but it had to be very subtle because it s not the sort of light you can dim; it s either on or off. The theme of the chandelier is, of course, reflected in the mountain views from the windows and the wraparound terrace. We ve kept everything in the chalet quite simple, but beautifully detailed, so that nothing draws away from the stunning winter wonderland experience the owners have when they look outside. A www.spinocchiafreund.com left: A beautifully lit hot tub under the eaves, the perfect spot to take in the view after a day on the slopes opposite: The comfort factor is turned up in the bedrooms with cosy knitted textiles and soft rugs /ALTO/