Team Chalet Shop have been busy on the ground in the Alps this month, with visits to Les Gets, Châtel and Morzine — and it’s safe to say there’s plenty happening in the mountains right now.
One highlight was a tour of some exciting new developments in Châtel with Mien Krooglik from Everest Developments. Construction sites are always fascinating at the early stages, when you can just begin to see the scale and ambition of a project taking shape. We’re looking forward to returning in a few months to see how things have progressed.
Another stop was a particularly worthwhile site visit to a six-storey chalet we’re currently working on. This project is already well advanced, which meant we could really start to visualise the interiors and how the furniture chosen by our clients will sit within the spaces. It’s an exceptional property packed with character: a wine cellar with an exposed mountain rock wall, a music recording studio, an organic yoga studio, and a games room affectionately named “The Batcave”, to name just a few features. It’s going to be a spectacular finished chalet and we can’t wait to see it all come together.
Trips like this are also a great opportunity to catch up with some of our key partners in the area. One of them is the fabulous and entirely unflappable Louisa, who can often be spotted zipping around the Alps in her tiny Fiat Panda. Louisa carries out vital site visit reports for our clients – an important part of the Chalet Shop service that helps spot potential hiccups long before installation day. She’s also a valued member of our installation team, with a brilliant eye for styling and dressing properties so they look their absolute best for listing photography and owners’ first arrivals.
We also had the pleasure of catching up with artist and real estate agent Nina McArthur. Nina’s photography is something rather special and works beautifully in chalet interiors. Her striking Alpine images are captured in and around the resorts of the Portes du Soleil – including Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz and beyond – and then transformed into distinctive metal wall art.
Depending on where they’re placed and how the light falls, the pieces subtly shift and change as they reflect the colours and atmosphere of the room around them. It’s a lovely way to bring a little of the mountain landscape inside. One of our favourites is Nina’s piece titled Percée or Mars.
While we were in the region, we also visited several other developments where our clients own properties, reporting back with updates and checking practical details such as lorry access routes for installation day. There really is no substitute for seeing these locations in person. It gives us a much clearer feel for the setting – the road networks, the natural light, the space around the property and how everything flows. Alpine homes are wonderfully individual and rarely predictable, which is all part of their charm.
We even managed to squeeze in time to buy some of our local trades team a well-earned beer. Quite simply, we couldn’t do what we do without this network of skilled people on the ground. Time and again we rely on them to help solve the inevitable last minute surprises that come with mountain properties and to get those snagging lists down to zero.
And thankfully it wasn’t all work. We caught up with plenty of friends in Les Gets, where there’s a wonderfully warm and lively expat community. Many have taken the time to understand what Chalet Shop does and why our service is a little different. They’ve been incredibly generous in sharing local knowledge, contacts and insights – not to mention tips on the best slopes and the liveliest après-ski spots.
While we were there, we were honoured to attend the final fundraiser for the Ellie Soutter Foundation. Over the years the foundation has supported young athletes with exceptional talent in winter sports who might otherwise struggle to pursue their potential due to financial barriers. It was a very special evening and a fitting celebration of the foundation’s incredible impact.
And of course, we couldn’t visit the Portes de Soleil without a bit of Spring skiing! The conditions were superb!
Hannah, Sally and Angela xx