Swiss chalet style

Former "housewife school" (1895) in Amsterdam

Swiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The chalet was the traditional building type of houses and farms in the Alpine (mountainous) areas of Switzerland, Savoy and Tyrol. The word "chalet" stems from the Arpitan (dialect/language) of Savoy and neighbouring Switzerland.

Swiss chalet style as a "modern" building style originated in Germany in the early 19th century. The style was popularized by the first waves of tourism of rich people from the North and West of Europe, who were impressed by the "simple life" of the people living in these mountains. The chalet style became popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands and in the country house architecture of Sweden and Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand, Norway, planned by Franz Wilhelm Schiertz in 1894

The style is characterized by:

• Gabled roofs with wide eaves
• Exposed construction beams, including large brackets
• Decorative carving and mouldings
• Balconies
• Large windows
• Weatherboarding, usually painted, often in bright colors

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  Hotel Rooding in Valkenburg (1892), designed by Pierre Cuypers

See also

• Norvell House
• Timeline of architectural styles

References

• Cincinnati Swiss Chalet houses
• Norwegian description of Swiss Chalet style
• DESIGN I. Swiss Chalet, P. F. Robinson, architect, 1827. no online picture