Change of Season. May 2011

 Spring arrives in the Alps and the builders return to complete jobs postponed until the threat of frost had passed. The outside steps are completed with stone and other small finishing touches are added. Bathroom accessories are added to each of the 5 bathrooms and the time and energy spent selecting them feels worthwhile. Underfloor heating and heated towel rails ensure bathrooms will be cosy warm when winter returns.



En-suite bathroom small Apartment







En-suite bathroom large Apartment



Spreading the word. March 2011

As the builders complete the final interior finishes it's time to start thinking about sharing Chalet Vache Bleue with the rest of the world. Deciding on the name is a lengthy process, we felt the name should be unique, perhaps related to Australia, not too long, easy to translate, it became quite a task.
Finally Chalet Vache Bleue was chosen, by naming the Chalet after Blue Cow Ski Resort in Australia a little piece of the antipodeans arrives in Meribel. In recent years possibly helped by favourable exchange rates more Australians are discovering Meribel so at least there will be some who understand the name. The French meanwhile are interested to hear about the Cows which are coloured Blue and live in Australia!

Now there is a name the development of the Web Site can commence. It is not easy condensing so much information into a web format, numerous draft pages are written before we can even get to layout stage. Finally by the end of March the first draft of the Web Site is produced and yet another milestone reached.

Shopping. January 2011

With Christmas and New Year over most Europeans return to work leaving the slopes blissfully quiet and the sun shines through cold January days. Despite the perfect skiing conditions shopping is required. The Apartments will be furnished in a contemporary style with occasional nods to the more traditional mountain decor. A ceiling light discovered hanging in the stairwell of a small shop in Moutiers fits the bill perfectly and is the first purchase.

Both Apartments will have fitted kitchens the purchasing of which is a lengthy process. Having said that if you have to spend 1.5 days in a Kitchen Showroom the Alpine town of Annecy would be one of the best places to do so. Having final understood the subtle differences between French and Australian kitchen design the reward is more interesting shopping in the Town centre. Annecy is a lock town at the northern end of Lac D'Annecy just 35km from Geneva. The town is a warren of lanes, passages and tiered houses, below and between which flow branches of the canal. Annecy is the town elected for the French bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, if successful events will be held throughout the surrounding area which will boost visitors numbers dramatically.

Christmas. December 2010

Along with Christmas comes very cold weather and the final opportunity to work outside until the return of the warmer weather. The exterior staircase and the two balconies to the small Apartment are completed and the focus changes to interior matters.
Meanwhile across Europe heavy snow brings travel disruption but smiles to the faces of those lucky enough to be spending Christmas and New Year Skiing in Meribel.

Cold days and sunshine

Exterior of small Apartment



The form work of the stairs to small Apartment

The small one. November 2010

The wrapping has all gone now revealing the exterior finish in all its glory. It really does stand out amid the older buildings but the woodwork finishes remind passers by that this is not a totally new building.Snow falls and the focus turns to interior work.

The greatest changes are being made in the small apartment building, the most impressive being the building of the amazing Oak staircase. The small apartment is four storeys high containing just one room on each floor, a small space which is designed as a real couples retreat. This is very different from the studio apartments more frequently on offer in French ski resorts for couples. In addition to the Oak staircase the apartment has two balconies and a cosy bathroom nestled in the roof space.

Staircase small apartment

A layer is removed. October 2010

The coverings start to come off the building to reveal the final finish. It looks so "new" hopefully it will settle into the surroundings over time.
After some final adjustments the window coverings are put in place. The wooden slats are sure to cause controversy being slightly on the unusual side. The idea was out of the need to cover windows, some of which are quite large and the desire to return the building to a more original look. The Architect has used the idea before on a commercial building further down the valley, an impressive YouTube clip was used to persuade us. We love them but as I just said they will, and have, caused controversy. Well while people are talking about you they are leaving others alone.


Not your average shutters