How to Add Cozy Après-Ski Style to Your Home

Unbinding your clunky ski boots and drying your wet socks by the fire is the perfect way to wind down after a cold, wintry day on the slopes, but you don’t have to be at a mountain resort to experience the cozy refuge of a fancy lodge. Even if you don’t get a couple runs in, après-ski style is easy to imitate in your own home and is the perfect design trend for winter. Update your space using these five steps to create a unique blend of luxurious modern and rustic cabin styles for a cool and comfy look that’s entirely all your own.

1. Pair dark-colored leather with lighter fabric.

Nothing says luxury like leather. Warm and traditional, leather-upholstered furniture is a great starting point for introducing après-ski style in your home. Sofas, chairs, and ottomans with sleek silhouettes including track arms and more modular, block design looks handsome and modern in darker leather upholstery such as charcoal gray, walnut brown, or smoky taupe. To lighten the atmosphere in your room, pair dark colored leather furniture with lighter fabric in the form of pillows, rugs, blankets, or accent chairs in cozy, soft shades like cream, beige, snowy white, or eggshell. This muted, neutral color contrast is bound to add a snuggly ambiance.

2. Use rustic wood furniture with a modern twist.

Like every lodge at a mountain resort, reclaimed wood furnishings have a place in your après-ski style space. Coffee tables, headboards, entertainment walls and dining sets are common pieces that add a rugged, woodsy element when crafted using salvaged wood that’s distressed to rival an aged antique. For a modern update, choose rustic wood furniture that features metal stretchers or drawer pulls, glass tabletops or shelves, or fabric seat upholstery for a touch of refinement that reminds you of streamlined, urban design. These additions make your rustic wood furniture look and feel more livable.  

3. Bring in the wilderness.

A rustic lodge interior uses what is natural, so choose accents from the outdoors such as unfinished branches, logs and unpolished stones for an organic appearance that spruces up your space without being too much on the eyes. For other ways to bring in the wilderness, accessorize a mantel or empty shelf with objects from outside like pinecones or fresh evergreen branches. You can also add a beautiful woven basket or tray that instantly adds natural texture and decorate with antlers if you don’t have access to the forest. Framed prints, rugs or accent pillows with animal motifs such as a moose or bear will also add an element of the outdoors.

4. Layer faux fur and cable knits.

Vail is definitely in vogue with its luxury lodge style of faux fur and thick cable knit blankets, so layer them on a bed, chair or sofa for an extravagant addition to your après-ski style space. Heavy textures in natural shades of gray, brown, beige, cream and white pair well with rustic wood floors and furniture and provide the perfect cozy touch to keeping you and your guests warm during winter months.

5. Gather around snug lighting.

Last but not least, make sure you set the mood for mellowing out after a long day. Stay warm and relaxed by the fireside, or make sure you light candles, dim the chandelier or turn on cozy accent lamps at your table-side to enjoy the soft glow that radiates true comfort.

You don’t have to search hard to find your perfect winter escape. Come home to après-ski style and find that feeling of cozy contentment has been with you all along.

Marissa Kozma​ is a Copywriter for The Showroom @Furniture Row, a fine furniture retailer and interior design center in Denver, Colorado. View their profile or contact them at (303) 296-9514. 

Content for this article provided by The Showroom @Furniture Row.