Winter Wonder

When Nick and Lucy Addyman found the holiday home of their dreams in the French Alps, they enlisted expert help to get the decor right for all seasons

- Jennifer Goulding

Happy childhood memories of frequent family skiing holidays in the French Alps inspired Nick Addyman to buy a small holiday flat there. Fast forward several years. By this time, Nick had met and married jazz singer Lucy Rathbone and the couple had two daughters. Nick’s beloved flat simply wasn’t large enough for his growing family. Determined to keep the old traditions alive, the Addymans began searching for a house where they could continue to enjoy spending time in France.

Before beginning their search, Nick and Lucy both agreed it shouldn’t be a conventional ski chalet. ‘We didn’t want anything twee with gingham, or modern and sleek, but were after something a bit more quirky,’ says Lucy.

‘We started looking around the area of Megève,’ she says, ‘but couldn’t find anything large enough, so we widened our search to Combloux. It’s not far from Megève, but smaller and quieter, and has incredible views of Mont Blanc – in fact it’s called La Perle du Mont Blanc.’