Mention the word chalet to Jack Decker, owner of Kingston, New Yorkbased Vernacular Design, and two visuals immediately come to mind: The ultra-exaggerated A-frame and a Swiss house with one stone story and a slightly larger wooden level on topwith vertical siding that leads up to a gradually pitched roof, he says.One need not shy away from these romantically conventional images to design a sophisticated alpine lodge. But theres a fine line between ski-house classic and chalet clich, as ADs December cover star Lauren Santo Domingo referred to it in her print feature. (Think: bear-skin rugs, antler chandeliers, and other tired elements.) To design a mountain home thats totally chic, AD PRO turned to Decker and a few other experts in the genre for their go-to tips on getting the look picture-perfect.Choosing the kind of wood and level of character is important, says Decker. He would know: His studio, a high-end woodworking shop in the Hudson Valley, collaborates with some of the regions premier architects and interior designers to craft bespoke mountain retreats. Hes a fan of options that can lighten heavy forms, like white oak, including pigmented varieties.White oaks lightness is highlighted when joined with darker varieties in this Susannah Holmberg project.Photo: Malissa MabeyHolmberg draws in shades of green in the details of this pool house project. She also relies on natural shades to inspire the sandy tiles, the earthen shelving, and the rust-colored pillows.Photo: Malissa MabeyChoosing the wrong kind of wood is a make-or-break for Decker too, who believes that many people take chalet clichs too far by incorporating plywood-reminiscent veneering and heaps of knotted species. By rooting the structure in classicism and playing with the interiors instead, [its] going to look more appropriate, he adds.When it comes to fireplaces, plaster-finished, stone-crafted varieties can be a nice addition. Consider masses of glazing too: You could do the entire gable in glazing, keep the inside less distracting, and bring the outside in through the glass to adapt to more modern sensibilities.Overall, chalets should respond to the natural worldmore so than a stately manor, Decker notes. That might look like a jolt of welcome asymmetrylike placing the entrance to an A-frame on the side of the home rather than the front. Sometimes the landscape of the home calls for thinking outside of the box.Shades of white come to fore in Ghislaine Viass Aspen project, whether it be in marble, bleached wood, or warmer tones in the textiles.Photo: Garrett Rowland