Walking through London recently I was greeted by this outdoor campaign from British Airways. A Slow campaign if ever there was one and good to see someone of BA's scale trying to spread the word. You'll find more on their site. And for our own hints and tips on how to make your Alpine holiday a bit slower, have a look at the Slowness section of our website.
Chalet de la Manche is now decorated and equipped ready for its first guests at the beginning of December. But it’s been quite a journey getting here.
We knew from the outset that we wanted to furnish our chalets in a way that reflected our beliefs as a business; a continuation of the Slow ethic. That is, that they would provide as much a sense of place as the towering mountains outside or the tartiflette on your plate. After all, what good would it be promoting an appreciation of this region, only to have a living room straight out of the MFI showroom?
So we set about visiting every brocante, flee market and vide-grenier we could find. Little did we know when we started off what a treasure trove of Alpine delights they would unearth. From vintage skis, to old magazines to the most comprehensive array of taxidermy you’re likely to find.
The most eclectic range was found at the Plainpalais in Geneva. For sheer scale, the vide-grenier at Thonon took some beating, whilst best setting had to be lakeside at Evian. If you can pull yourself away from the mountains, there are worse ways to spend a summer afternoon than ambling around one of these.
All our loot is now firmly entrenched within the chalet and we’re really pleased with the result. The place has a truly unique feel that steers clear of the twee-Disney version of the Alps, yet still feels instinctively Alpine. It’s not perfect (we couldn’t find suitable beds in time, and many of the bigger items were harder to come by so we had to turn to sustainably sourced suppliers of new stuff). But we’ve learned a lot. And as we grow we’ll get better.
October 1st 2008 will probably go down as one of the more inauspicious days to start a business. Yet at the same time as the US were stumping up $700billion to save the world, Slow Chalets was gently spluttering into life. Our first chalet is complete, the air is getting fresher and we’re itching to take some bookings. Welcome aboard...
