the.com/chalet
a barn for cows, promoted to a fantasy where rich people pay millions to be cold
means A wooden house, typically with a steeply sloping roof and wide eaves, originally found in Alpine regions and now a byword for a mountain or ski holiday home.
from From French via Swiss French dialect, where 'chalet' meant a herdsman's hut or dairy cabin in the Alps — the kind of rough timber shelter you'd use while grazing cattle on high summer pastures. The word is thought to descend ultimately from Latin 'cala' (a sheltered spot, possibly related to words for a protected place). It entered English in the 18th century, climbing socially all the way: from the cowherd's cabin to the postcard ideal of the snow-dusted holiday lodge.
- origin
- Originally humble Alpine shelters for herders and livestock
- the roof
- Wide overhangs designed to dump heavy snow safely
- swiss law
- Some villages legally require the chalet aesthetic
- the word
- Comes from Latin for a sheltered, protected place
- price tag
- Verbier chalets can fetch over fifty million
badrutt's palace hotel — luxury alpine chalet in st. moritz, switzerland, built in 1896 with 152 rooms
chalet zermatt peak — private chalet in zermatt, switzerland, rented for $50,000+ per week in winter season
chalet white crystal — luxury chalet in courchevel 1850, french alps, features 5 bedrooms and heated outdoor pool