Perched 550 metres above sea level in the Swiss resort village of Arosa is a three-bedroom ski chalet that proves that a small space can feel expansive – and that, sometimes, a dated interior doesn’t need ripping out.
Built in the 1970s, the house was bought by its owner, Zurich-based interior designer Claudia Silberschmidt, in 2016. It hadn’t changed in that time, and was filled with 70s fittings and furniture, including wall-to-wall beige carpets, dark orange tiles in the living space, and a striking wood-panelled suspended ceiling. She and her husband spent their visits that winter soaking up the chalet’s dated ambience while deciding how they might transform it.
“We wanted to adopt its 70s spirit and not force a wooden ‘mountain chic’ look on to it,” she says. “To freshen it up without erasing its identity, which had been what attracted us in the first place.”
Silberschmidt has a long family connection to Arosa: her great-grandfather was the architect of a prominent local hotel; her grandfather was the hotelier there; and her father was born and brought up in the village. Silberschmidt visited the chalet as a child, and recalls feeling at home there, even then. “It’s not a real beauty, but it’s the perfect size and location,” she says.
A tiny galley kitchen with black resin worktops was originally separated from the living and dining area by a wall; Silberschmidt removed it to create an open, communal kitchen, living and dining room. She designed a table made from natural spruce (inspired by a stack of freshly milled timber), which wraps around a supporting column and doubles as a kitchen worktop. Its far end resembles a stack of Jenga bricks.
This, together with a built-in L-shaped bench upholstered in orange/pale pink fabric – a nod to 70s-style booth seating – divides the kitchen from the rest of the space. “I wanted a simple ‘no design’ table,” says Silberschmidt. She constructed it from pale, new wood, which contrasts with the dark grey walls and ceiling.
She kept the decorative ceiling panel, painting it the same grey as the walls but adding blue highlights to create a retro-style feature. This is suspended over the dining and living area, marking it out from the kitchen space.
Grey, blue and red tones fill the living area: the sofa is upholstered in the same grey fabric (from Andrew Martin) as the curtains. An open fire with a mantel above it and a wide shelf in front, along with an original decorative plaster surround, is painted the same colour as the walls; and the previously orange tiles are painted grey.
A series of mismatched stools and chairs, including a fluffy blue love seat (for similar, try roselandfurniture.com) and stools surround a coffee table by British artist Paul Kelley: it’s made from copper cubes and resembles a Rubik’s Cube. The rug was designed by Silberschmidt (from frohsinn.ch), and pops of colour come from a vase and a 1960s ceramic lamp made in the former West Germany.
A lot of people are afraid of using dark colours in a small space, says Silberschmidt, but if you combine it with “bright, happy details”, it can actually make the space feel larger. “When you paint the walls the same colour as the ceiling, the contours disappear,” she says. “The darker these colours, the stronger this effect will get, and the ceiling and walls will ‘fade away’. Painting all items (including fireplace and built-in cupboards) in the same colours and not having hard contrasts will make you feel the space is larger. Keeping the colour scheme neutral also means that, if I want a change, I can just switch the decorative elements, like the table lamp, carpet or cushions, and not have to repaint the whole house.”
A floor-to-ceiling wall of black shelving spans the kitchen and living areas, displaying crockery, cooking pots and books. The highest shelves under the gabled eaves are accessed by a bespoke ladder. Copper features throughout, from a floor panel beneath the fire to stools in the living area, wall lights in the kitchen, utensils, and even an original milk churn on the landing.
Another major job was changing the outdated 70s windows for higher-performance ones. Silberschmidt kept their arched shape, but opted for darker frames to better highlight the landscape outside.
“It’s an inviting place,” says Silberschmidt. “I love the simple act of making a fire – the smell of it. It’s perfect for recharging the life batteries.”
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