Make Your Home Feel Like a Cozy Ski Chalet This Winter

As the weather begins to cool down, the lighter weight linen and cottons blankets make their way to our storage closets, and the air conditioners start to get less use in our homes, there’s no better time than the beginning of the holiday season to refresh your home, giving it a warm, cozy feel. You don’t need a full re-design of your interiors to get them ready for winter – just a few touches can make your space feel like a luxurious, far away ski chalet.

Tracey Sawyer, who has become the go-to designer of choice for creating chic, functional and comfortable interiors for some of the biggest hotel brands in the world including the W Hotels, Westin, Canopy by Hilton, Andaz, and more, knows just what it takes to transform a space with just a few simple touches. Below, you can find Sawyer & Company's top pro tips for transforming your home from a stylish summer dwelling to a cozy winter retreat.

1. Add a Sheepskin to a Cold Wooden Chair

Toss your brighter, crisp lightweight cotton blankets into the storage closet, and invest in a new fur throw to bring a cold wooden chair to life. Doubling as an area rug, a dark, robust hue and furry texture will add richness to an otherwise sterile seating option, and leave you feeling as if you’re in your very own secluded mountainside abode.

Sawyer & Company Suggests:

Trouva’s Natures Collection Gotland Curly Sheepskin, $445.05, via Trouva.com

2. Change Out Your Flip Flops for the Perfectly Warm – But Not Too Warm – Felt Slippers

House shoes and slippers represent the change from a day spent outside of the comfortable confines of your home. Whether running errands, shoveling snow, or hard at work in the office, that simple activity signals the end of a certain discomfort and an embrace of warmth, coziness, and calm. When your toes are feeling the bite of winter’s chill, what better way to warm them up than the healing softness of felt or shearling sheepskin slippers.

Sawyer & Company Suggests:

Garnet Hill Felted Wool Slippers, $148, via GarnetHill.com

Toast Shearling Sheepskin Slippers, $110, via Toa.st

3. Add a Portable Heater or Fireplace to Your Space

No ski chalet worth it’s hot stew is complete without a rippling, wood-fueled fire. And if you’re lucky enough to have hard surface floors in your home, you can expect the occasional drafty chill to drift atop the floorboards. Bring a taste of Alpine life into your space by adding a portable (and store-able) fireplace to warm up the room in the dead of winter, and add an invaluable touch of charm.

Sawyer & Company Suggests:

Vauni Globe, $3,144, via Vauni.com

Lumen’s Lighthouse Fireplace, starting at $909, via Lumens.com

4. Change Your Blanket to a Down Comforter

While a lightweight linen blanket creates a comfortable atmosphere during the warmer months, frigid mountaintop climes call for a heartier solution. Upgrade to a pleasantly chunky down comforter to help you get through the arctic, snow-covered evenings.

Sawyer & Company Suggests:

Brooklinen Down Comforter, $299, via Brooklinen.com

5. Candelabra Bring on the Dinner Parties

Shorter days mean more time spent around the dinner table, enjoying hearty, homemade food. What better way to make that moment truly special than with impressive candelabra. An elegant, vintage shape lends a fabulous feel to the tabletop, while a wooden version adds an extra touch of warmth and hominess while retaining a versatile and modern profile.

Sawyer & Company Suggests:

Pair of Gunnar Ander Candelabras, $2,078.50, via 1stdibs.com

Danish Design Store Nordic Light Foldable Candelabra, $145.60, via DanishDesignStore.com

6. Start a Hobby

Embrace the quiet and solitude high in the snow-covered hills by taking the time to hone a new skill while simultaneously adding chalet-style design accents to your space. Knitting is a wonderful pastime that suits alone time on the mountain very well, and knitted elements placed on top of existing furniture and soft goods, used as throws, pillow covers, and even bowls, add a textural feeling that resonates throughout the space, helping to create a welcoming yet casually chic atmosphere.

Sawyer & Company Suggests: