happy new year + mountain home dreaming

Hello, 2018! Let’s start off this Happy New Year with some big dreams . . .

I’ve been dreaming about a weekend mountain home getaway for quite awhile now. It’s not surprising considering that I grew up in a small mountain town and some of my best childhood holiday memories revolve around winter ski weekends in Bend, Oregon. And now, after 7 years in Switzerland, we’ve both grown to love spending weekends away in the mountains, hiking, relaxing, and playing in the snow throughout winter.

For the last few years we were lucky to have friends who had an apartment in Klosters that we were able to visit from time to time. It was so peaceful to head up for a quiet mountain weekend, waking up early to the sound of happy cows, spending a lot of time outside, and getting just a little more distance on the work week and the never-ending list of chores waiting at home. Since our friends gave up their place last year we’ve still found some time to escape, even if just for a day, and the dream of having our own place has continued to grow.

While I continue to stalk around real estate websites for the perfect (affordable) alpine fixer-upper, I enjoy dreaming about what our ideal place would be like. So here’s my inspiration and my thoughts on location, size, and more.

Location. No more than 1-2.5 hours from Zurich by car in a village with a little activity, i.e. bakery, coffee shop, and not just seasonal holiday residents. Klosters remains my top location, primarily because of it’s drivability and our experience there so far. The Engadine is lovely, but maybe a bit too far. Somewhere is Wallis is definitely on the table, though farther, but more budget-friendly.

Apartment vs. House. Either, but this also depends a lot on the location. The ultimate dream is a place that we can fix up which also has a bit of land/yard (or at least proximity to open outdoor space) for Reese. I would much prefer something that needs a little work than a newly built (and outrageously priced) place.

Inspiration & style. While I love the look of a hillside dotted with traditional Swiss mountain chalets (dark wood, shuttered windows, etc.), my mountain home would also be a bit more modern and definitely with large windows that open wide to let the fresh mountain air in.

The exterior would be, at least partially grey/black/white, perhaps mixing stone, zinc, and traditional wood cladding. Inside, there must be some sort of fireplace/stove in an open layout living space. Bedrooms don’t need to be huge, but I’ll take at least one with an ensuite bathroom.

Here are some of my favorite homes. Click into the gallery to read more about what I like and for image sources.

Size. Not too big, but at least no smaller than our current apartment (150 sq. meters / 1600 sq. feet) because what’s the point of a mountain home if you don’t have room to share it with family and friends. Ideally, 3-4 bedrooms/office and 2+ bathrooms.

So, what do you think? Does this make you want a mountain home too? If so, you can see more mountain home inspiration on Pinterest. And keep following along to see if we find a place to call our own.

{Top image of the Yellow Hammer Ski House by the Pearson Design Group. If I cannot get a Swiss mountain home, maybe we’ll move to Montana.}