Chalet Cristallo Reimagines Mountain Living
Chalet Cristallo stands on a steep slope above Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where 3ndy Studio shapes a contemporary alpine house against the Dolomites’ jagged skyline. The project organizes life across two terraced levels, tucking bedrooms and wellness rooms into the ground while lifting a glazed living floor toward the view. Inside, a continuous timber envelope and measured furnishings create a calm, warm counterpoint to the snow and exposed rock outside.
Snow crunches underfoot as the house comes into view, its sharp roofline cutting across the white slope and dark tree line. Through the tall glazing, the interior reads as a single warm plane, a timber volume glowing against the Dolomite rock beyond.
This house in Cortina d’Ampezzo by 3ndy Studio sits on a steep alpine gradient, with the lower level anchored into the ground and the upper level projecting toward the valley. Two stacked bands organize daily life: private rooms and wellness below, open-plan living above, all oriented to the surrounding mountains. Interior finishes stay consistent from floor to ceiling, so light, material, and furnishings carry the story of this chalet.
Framing The Mountains
From the main living level, a wall of glass tracks the peaks, turning the Dolomites into a moving panorama across the day. Slender mullions divide the view but never compete with it, while a deep terrace extends the room outward in warm weather. Inside, low-profile furniture keeps sightlines open so the snow, forests, and rock formations remain the dominant presence. Evening light washes across the ceiling, catching the grain of the boards and softening the strong geometry.
Timber As Envelope
Continuous wood cladding runs across floors, walls, and the pitched ceiling, creating a unified surface that wraps the upper level like a shell. Joints align in long, clean lines, guiding the eye from the entry toward the glass and out to the valley. Built-in elements share the same finish, from cabinetry to the deep window reveals, so furniture seems to grow from the structure rather than sit apart. This material clarity strengthens the thermal reading of the interior, turning the chalet into a kind of warm interior landscape against the snow.
Living On The Upper Level
The open-plan living floor flows from kitchen to dining to lounge without partitions, using furniture placement and ceiling angles to set up gentle thresholds. A stone-topped island, paired with high stools, anchors the kitchen alongside the glass and gives cooking a direct connection to the mountain view. Nearby, a dining table sits beneath an antler-like chandelier, its sculptural outline echoing the surrounding peaks in a more tactile way. The generous timber floor area leaves room for circulation around these pieces, so movement between terrace and interior feels easy.
Quiet Rooms Below
Downstairs, the embedded lower level reads more introverted, its smaller apertures framing close-up views of trees and snow rather than expansive horizons. Bedrooms use the same wood lining, with deep sills turning window edges into daybeds where occupants can rest against the warm material while watching weather move across the valley. The wellness zone and indoor pool sit deeper in the slope, where controlled openings balance privacy with select outlooks. Light reflects off water and stone, introducing cooler textures that counterpoint the upstairs timber without breaking the overall continuity.
Exterior Edges And Terraces
Outside, a dark metal shell frames the glazed facade and extends beyond it, creating sharp edges that stand out crisply against the snowfield. Beneath the cantilever, a raised terrace with slender vertical railings becomes an intermediate platform between interior warmth and the exposed slope. At the back, the embedded plinth meets the terrain with more restrained openings and timber siding, echoing the interior material language in a tougher register. Together, these surfaces ground the chalet within the site while keeping the focus on light, view, and the calibrated warmth of wood.
As daylight fades and the mountains turn shadowed, the interior reads from outside as a single luminous timber volume. The house holds its place quietly on the incline, balancing its strong form with measured rooms tuned to daily routines. What remains most vivid is that continuous envelope of wood, catching light and shadow while life unfolds against a constant view of rock, forest, and snow.
Photography courtesy of 3ndy Studio
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