{"id":224195,"date":"2024-04-01T08:46:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=224195"},"modified":"2024-12-18T19:21:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T00:21:14","slug":"how-chalet-bertha-doubles-as-a-luxurious-rental-property","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/how-chalet-bertha-doubles-as-a-luxurious-rental-property\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Ski Chalet Doubles as a Luxurious Rental Property"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"exterior
The chalet is part of a private mountainside community of identical houses overlooking the Saint Lawrence River and L\u2019Isle-aux-Coudres in Quebec\u2019s Charlevoix region. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

April 1, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Michael Lassell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Ulysse Lemerise<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

How a Ski Chalet Doubles as a Luxurious Rental Property<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Named after an Alpine goddess in Germanic mythology, Chalet Bertha is a family vacation home and rental property in Charlevoix, a region of Quebec, Canada, long famed as a year-round resort area of breathtaking natural beauty. Located high on a hillside in the Laurentian Mountains near the picturesque town of Baie-Saint-Paul, a celebrated arts and crafts colony, the three-level, 7,500-square-foot chalet enjoys panoramic views of the surrounding forested landscape and the mighty Saint Lawrence River beyond. It\u2019s one of 46 identical homes in a private community that ensures aesthetic uniformity by selling each lot with a set of plans determining the precise footprint and exterior form of the residence to be built on it. While complete floor plans are included, however, the interiors may be configured any way the homeowners like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bertha was built for a business couple who intended to use it for ski weekends and longer vacations with extended family and friends as well as for corporate retreats and small conferences. The owners also planned to offer the house for short-term rental. To create an interior that satisfied this demanding program, they turned to Perron<\/a>, which worked with longtime collaborator Luc Tremblay Architecte<\/a> on reimagining the entire layout. It was a major undertaking, begun in 2019 but not completed until 2023 thanks to COVID and Canada\u2019s winter weather. Firm founder Natalie Perron led the team, with Rebekah Maciagowski as project manager and Sarah Eve H\u00e9bert as artistic director. \u201cNatalie and Sarah Eve were the design experts for the chalet,\u201d Maciagowski notes. \u201cBut all the firm\u2019s designers worked on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reimagining a Family Vacation Home in Quebec, Canada<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"living
Stephen Burks\u2019s Kida hanging chair and Timothy Oulton\u2019s sheepskin- covered Yeti sofa furnish a lounge nook in the top-floor great room at Chalet Bertha, a three-level family vacation house and rental property in Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada, by Perron.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of the project, the team collaborated closely with the clients in developing the overall plans. But as things progressed, the owners relinquished more and more control. \u201cFinally, they went for a year-long trip around the world and left the remaining decisions to us,\u201d H\u00e9bert reports. \u201cThey said they trusted us,\u201d adds Maciagowski, \u201cthen off they went, expecting the house to be absolutely turnkey-ready when they returned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bertha\u2019s eponymous snow goddess provided inspiration. \u201cThe concept was to feel the winter spirit indoors and be warmed by the joy of company,\u201d Perron says. \u201cIt was all about creating magic with spaces that open up to the world, playing with cold and warmth in a way that makes us feel that we\u2019re outside when we\u2019re inside.\u201d She also took cues from what are known in French as h\u00f4tels particuliers<\/em>\u2014literally, personal hotels\u2014freestanding, private town mansions that achieved their apogee in 18th-century Paris. The chalet would be a family home that functions like a five-star hotel, right down to Bertha-branded luxury soap, shampoo, and toothbrushes in every one of the six bathrooms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"bathroom
The main bathroom outfitted with Anderssen & Voll framed oval mirrors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"white
An acrylic tub in the main bathroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The style of the modern and comfortable interior also takes its cues from Northern Europe. That means clean lines, inviting textures, and lots of blond-wood finishes basking in the light from walls of highly insulated, commercial-grade windows. \u201cWhen you live in a Nordic country, you discover strategic ways to bring warmth into your interiors,\u201d Perron notes. Furnishings were sourced from Sweden and Denmark as well as Italy, Spain, the U.S., and, of course, Canada. Custom pillows, throws, and rugs were produced by craftspeople on L\u2019Isle-aux-Coudres, a river island that Bertha overlooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chalet\u2019s main public spaces are on the top floor, where a 2,500-square-foot great room with a soaring beamed ceiling comprises living, dining, and lounge areas arranged around twin nodes: a huge woodburning fireplace and a central open kitchen defined by a massive U-shape counter. (There\u2019s a hidden, fully equipped professional chef\u2019s kitchen, too.) On the ground floor, the double-height main entrance is not a traditional \u201chome\u201d space but an apr\u00e8s-ski mudroom that\u2019s more like a welcoming hotel lobby. Outfitted with a herringbone brick floor for easy maintenance, it features a 1970\u2019s-style suspended metal fireplace encircled by wood stools and rocking chairs and flanked by a banquette, behind which a large storage room accommodates ski gear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"living
On the middle level, the double-height, brick-floored entry serves as an apr\u00e8s- ski mudroom and lounge area centered on a custom \u201970\u2019s-style fireplace. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"indoor
David Geckeler\u2019s Nerd barstools serving the open kitchen\u2019s custom U-shape counter in the great room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A wide hotellike hallway equipped with a bellman luggage cart leads from the front door to four of the chalet\u2019s five bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom. The fifth bedroom and a kids\u2019 dormitory with eight bunk beds are on the lowest level. The suites are all similar in style, but each has its own color scheme along with a name derived from the word snow in various languages\u2014Sno, Nev, Lumi, Sne, and Ho, the last being the largest and main bedroom. The house easily sleeps 20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessed by a bright-red steel staircase that incorporates a slide, the lowest level includes a gym and an expansive family room with areas for kids\u2019 craft activities, a convertible ping-pong\/pool table, and a climbing wall. The color palette down here is brighter and more saturated than most of the upstairs, where the outdoors are the chief inspiration and the natural tones of fir, spruce, oak, and pine, joined by a variety of lacquered veneers, tend to predominate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"sitting
A custom steel staircase incorporating a slide leads to a central podium in the bottom-level family room, which includes a climbing wall and kids\u2019 craft table with built-in banquette. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe did a big reveal for the clients when they returned,\u201d H\u00e9bert reports. \u201cWe had some surprises for them, so the experience was like unwrapping a gift, especially as it was five days before Christmas. It was wonderful to see their reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"exterior
The chalet is part of a private mountainside community of identical houses over- looking the Saint Lawrence River and L\u2019Isle-aux-Coudres in Quebec\u2019s Charlevoix region. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"bedroom
In Nev, Ionna Vautrin\u2019s conical Pion coffee table serves as a nightstand while, above Must\u2019s Claire bed, felted-wool panels help tame acoustics. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"bedroom
Schneid Studio\u2019s Eikon pendant fixtures hang above Patricia Urquiola\u2019s Husk bed in Ho, the main suite, where J\u00f8rgen B\u00e6kmark\u2019s J104 beech chair pulls up to a custom desk. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"living
The great room features herringbone oak flooring, another fireplace, this one massive with a concrete bench, and Studio Lipparini\u2019s Peanut B. sectional sofa upholstered in velvet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"outdoor
Off the great room, the covered terrace includes a spa pool, custom cedar table and benches, and John Hutton\u2019s Belvedere swivel lounge chairs around a firepit. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"stairway
Behind the door at the rear of the oak podium, a fully equipped gym.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"stairwell
An oak stair with oak-veneered balustrades, connecting the entry and great room. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"bunk
The kids\u2019 dormitory off the family room is lined with four pairs of custom bunk beds. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"hallway
A folding textile door fronting the kids\u2019 dormitory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"corner
In the Nev suite, a Ritz sconce with a built-in plant holder.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"room
Also in Nev, artwork by Perron project manager Rebekah Maciagowski and custom pillows by L\u2019Isle-aux-Coudres craftspeople. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"hotel
A custom hotel-style luggage cart is an amusing touch in the suite hallway, which has wood-slat paneling, a unifying element used throughout the chalet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"outside
Font\u2019s digitally printed Walking on Clouds nylon carpet in the hallway outside a suite. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
project team<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PERRON:<\/strong> NATHALIE PERRON; SARAH-\u00c8VE H\u00c9BERT, REBEKAH MACIAGOWSKI; MARYSE TOURANGEAU; GENEVI\u00c8VE PERREAULT; OLIVIER RACINE; ALEXANNE LEVASSEUR; BRIAN BLOUIN; LAURENCE DUMAIS-BLOUIN; EMILY LAPOINTE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LUC TREMBLAY ARCHITECTE:<\/strong> ARCHITECT OF RECORD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u00c9NIE+: <\/strong>STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONSTRUCTION ROSAIRE GUAY ET FILS:<\/strong> GENERAL CONTRACTOR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

project sources<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT DEDON:<\/strong> HANGING CHAIR (LOUNGE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EGE CARPETS:<\/strong> RUG (LOUNGE), CARPET (DORMITORY). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANCAL:<\/strong> CONICAL COFFEE TABLES (LOUNGE, NEV SUITE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RH:<\/strong> SOFA, DINING TABLE (LOUNGE), SWIVEL CHAIRS (TERRACE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JC BORDELET:<\/strong> FIREPLACE (ENTRY). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BONALDO:<\/strong> SECTIONAL (GREAT ROOM). RUBI: SINKS (BATHROOM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RUBINET FAUCET COMPANY:<\/strong> SINK FITTINGS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ZITTA: <\/strong>TUB. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HAMSTER:<\/strong> CUSTOM SCONCE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MUUTO:<\/strong> MIRRORS (BATHROOM, HO SUITE), BARSTOOLS (KITCHEN). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOOOR: <\/strong>FOLDING DOOR (DORMITORY). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MOOOI: <\/strong>CARPET (HALL). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MUST:<\/strong> BED (NEV SUITE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TUDO & CO: <\/strong>SCONCE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MUTINA: <\/strong>BAR-FRONT TILES (KITCHEN). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B&B ITALIA:<\/strong> BED (HO SUITE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCHNEID STUDIO:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HAY:<\/strong> DESK CHAIR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THROUGHOUT ANNA CHARLOTTE ATELIER:<\/strong> CUSTOM ARTISANAL PILLOWS, RUGS, THROWS. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n