It's Après-Ski Season — And All I Can Think About Is How to Make My Home Feel Like an Aspen Lodge

If the cold and harsh wintertime has one redeeming quality, it’s ski season — and particularly, ‘après-ski’ activities. The expression commonly refers to the bar and club scenes at ski resorts, however, après-ski style has grown into an aesthetic of its own, characterized by relaxation and socialization in an alpine environment.

In interior design, après-ski style can make a space feel elegant yet inviting and warm, serving as the perfect place to unwind and entertain. Todhunter Earle Interiors define après-ski style as a combination of "luxury, chicness, warmth, and comfort with practical functionality, serving to extend the pleasure of a day spent on the slopes with friends, into the sanctuary of home," and interior designer Katharine Pooley thinks similarly.

"The après-ski aesthetic is all about capturing the essence of life’s luxuries - comfort and elegance - in a raw and starkly beautiful environment," Katharine says. "It is an interior design style that encapsulates the feeling of looking back at the towering mountain you just conquered, a steaming hot drink in hand, following hours of fearlessly mastering the cold terrain, peace, and total comfort after the adrenaline of off-piste adventuring with your heart beating out of your chest."

As far as décor, après-ski style can be achieved with three interior design trends: stone gray accessories, knotty wood designs, and faux-fur finishes. These three features reflect the alpine setting, which according to many interior design experts like Nicky Dobree, is essential to après-ski style. Nicky says that to create an après-ski style interior, one should be inspired by nature to bring the outdoors inside, in a chic and luxurious way. Through natural color like stone gray, alpine material like knotty wood, and comfortable faux-fur finishes, you too can create a tasteful après-ski interior, fit for entertainment and relaxation with a side of luxury.

1. Stone Gray Décor

Alpine homes and chalets are generally reflective of their environment, and they commonly feature natural materials such as wood or stone. Decorating with gray is an easy way to play into the aesthetic without making a major cosmetic change to your interior space.

Think gray rugs, gray pillows, gray blankets, even gray furniture. Touches of gray throughout your space give the look of natural stone in a comfortable and stylish way. Use this color as a base to build your après-ski interior.

2. Knotty Wood Designs

Wood drenching tends to be a fairly common feature of mountain homes. The good news? It's a pretty big trend in design right now. For a mountain lodge look, knotty wood paneling and wood furnishings certainly radiate the comfort aspect of the après-ski style.

Kate Aslangul, designer of the interiors pictured above, notes that working with local materials like natural wood is a key design element of après-ski interiors. "To create a timelessness and sense of home to chalets, I introduce layers using different materials, textures, and soft furnishings, choosing complementary wood finishes for the paneling and furniture, mixing both rich and rough earthy timber finishes."

If you're not keen on adding wood paneling to your space, opt for complementary wood furniture with knotty detailing like a dresser, lamp, or end table. This feature, which is highly reflective of an alpine environment, will help you achieve an après-ski aesthetic.

3. Faux-Fur Finishes

Faux-fur finishes are essential to the après-ski style, according to designers at Todhunter Earle Interiors. "Boucle, fur, and abundant shag pile bring a luxurious touch through their inviting textures, perfect for relaxation zones where the après-ski party extends into the night," they note. "These materials not only offer warmth but also infuse any room with an elegant, sophisticated flair, essential for crafting a genuine alpine ambiance."

Faux-fur elements like throw pillows or blankets add the soft and elegant comfort that is necessary in alpine homes, making them key elements for relaxation in the après-ski interior style.

While an après-ski style is all about its natural surroundings, you don't need to live in the mountains to achieve this aesthetic. Designer Nicky Dobree shares a few tips to incorporate in your home.

"Choose comfortable seating in which people can unwind and socialize," Nicky says. "Add colors that are earthy and rich. The atmosphere that you create stems from the materials that you use, so layer with textures such as linen, leather, wool and fur. Incorporate vintage ski posters or a pair of antique skis. Balance elegance with rusticity using natural materials such as timber and stone." With these ideas in mind, you too can develop an après-ski style, wherever you live.