DIY – GET THE STYLE
If you like what you are seeing or even better at some point have loved staying with us, you can take this feeling home. As an interior “obsessionist” I have decided to share some of the tips and links with you, so you can make your own contemporary feel at home. And if you have any questions feel free to contact me if you cannot find the answers here on this page.
Coming from Denmark, growing up in Sweden, working in Norway and finally married to a Finnish guy, one would claim that we know our way around the Skandi way of living. So when we bought the apartment, I decided to bring the best of “our” version of Scandinavia to the Bernese Alps and somehow combining the two. I love the the slow pace of life here in Saanenland – and how people take the time to talk to you, care for- and enjoy life and generally be very friendly to you – it reminds me of growing up in Scandinavia 50 years ago. Combining this hospitality with the immense beauty of the landscape, and a little bit of Danish “hygge”, I hope that we have created a cosy spot for you to enjoy, and I would be more than happy to share some of the deco tips.
COLOURS
Painting the walls was one of the biggest changes we made to the flat and it had a huge impact on the interiors. We chose to work with the wonderful colours from Farrow & Ball.
The off white is called Wevet White and was used for the plastered walls and ceilings.
The light khaki is called Shaded White and was used for the wooden ceilings in the bedrooms.
The grey/blue colour is called DeNimes and used for the doors and wardrobe doors
The faded green is called Treron and used for wooden panelled walls.
We got super good recommendations from our old local painter, from when we lived in Zurich, on how to prep the woodwork and use the different foundation paints to make the most of the top coat. When you spend so much money on your house, spend that little extra on good paint and good advise.
KITCHEN
We knocked down the kitchen wall to open up into the living room and get the beautiful view of the south valley. We chose to design a modern and fully functionally kitchen even though the space is small.
Black stained wood kitchen cabinets from IKEA, model “Lerhyttan“
Splash back in soft pink tiles from Satoria Design Tiles with chalk white grout, makes a nice contrast to the black kitchen fronts.
Doorhandles and grips in burnished brass are all handmade and from danish interior firm Brandt Collective.
FLOORING
First of all I wanted to do something different than the traditional approach to chalet floors; wood and tiles. And in particular as our flat had typical 80’ties white 40×40 cm tiles in the hallway, lacquered wooden parket floor in the livingroom and bedrooms, and finally 3 different choices of tile in kitchen and the bathroom!!! It was a “mashup of materials” and so we wanted something calm (but definitely not boring) and practical (as we had 2 dogs) the choice was easy – BOLON flooring – my, to this day, still favourite obsession when it comes to vinyl flooring.
After an excruciating selections process – so many nice styles and so too little m2, we finally decided on the ELEMENTS series, and we chose the rectangular tiles in a cross weave and the colour was called CORK. I love the textured look and how well it came out – the colours change during the day depending on the sunlight.
FURNITURE
We tried to mix our contemporary furniture with some single pieces of “chalet vibe items”.
Luckily we found this extraordinary dining table at our local vintage and curiosa shop La Vache Bleu. It’s cut out of one massive piece of wood and has thick wooden legs and is a perfect fit for our old Eames fiberglass chairs. On another note the boutique offers so much more than meets the eye – music events and cosy bar evenings.
We had to find something for the tv and I normally hate these pieces of furniture but I had to give in when I visited the wonderful shop of Liliane in Bern. She is the owner of the incredible PatinaMöbel shop. I ended up byuing the oak sidetable for the sofa and a secretary (the later has since moved to my private residence). When in Bern, don’t miss out!
The all present cow picture I also bought locally – in a small gallerie in Schönried owned by two of the lovely Frautschi sisters. They sell vintage regional alpine photos and newer prints in handmade wooden frames. The Gallerie im Stöckli is next to the Frautschi Holzbau on the corner of Grubenstrasse and Schlitmoosstrasse. Worth a visit.