From tumbledown barn to contemporary chalet

When Helen Shaw and Adam Lloyd, owners of UK holiday cottage company, Sheepskin, came across a tumble-down barn in Morzine in the French Alps, it ended their extensive Europe-wide search for the ideal location to expand their business.

Their passion for travel, beautiful places and distinctive buildings led them to create Sheepskin in the UK, which offers characterful holiday cottages in out-of-the way locations, in areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Whilst building their successful business over the last seven years, they've held onto their dream to one day renovate an old building in a stunning location.

The building they chose, at the beginning of 2015, was one of the last available, untouched, traditional farm buildings in Morzine, which many will know as a popular ski town in Haute Savoie, part of the Portes du Soleil snow sports and cycling area.

Building the dream in Morzine in the French Alps

Pioneers, with exceptional vision and a good deal of courage, they sold everything they owned in the UK and took a leap of faith.  Determined to make their dream a reality, they applied the skills they'd acquired from working with owners of properties in the Sheepskin collection, together with their own hands-on experience of property renovation at home. Combining this with their commercial acumen, they seized the opportunity to turn an unloved and deteriorating building into a beautiful and inspiring home, just perfect to share with Sheepskin guests.

Their motivation is simple: “Our ambition is to fill a real gap in the market.  We've always struggled to find truly great places to stay in the Alps and feel there is an opportunity to focus on cosy, stylish properties for couples and small groups.”

After ten months of hands-on work on their renovation project, their original vision for the building is now reality.  “Many people have said they would have torn down the old barn and started again, however, the texture of the natural materials and simplicity of the traditional techniques were part of what appealed to us, so keeping as many of them as possible was a guiding principle of our final design.” 

Creating the Sheepskin Alps collection

Their chalet brings together the original rustic structure and character of the 150-year-old building with eye-catching features, such as floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors in the living rooms and a 360 degree wood-burner.  Contemporary high spec finishes combine with furniture hand-crafted by Adam and Helen from wood reclaimed from the original building.

Their unique and contemporary chalet is available to rent as part of their new Sheepskin Alps collection (which includes Le Petit Nid D'Amour, another beautifully renovated traditional wooden building, now a cosy love nest for two and Genepi, a rustic alpine apartment for four).

The Sheepskin Alps collection can be viewed and booked via:
www.sheepskinalps.com.

There is also a link to Sheepskin's Alps collection from www.sheepskinlife.com

Guests can contact sheepskin for UK and Alps holidays by email inspired@sheepskinlife.com or telephone 01865 764087

Note to Editors

For more press information or images, please contact hannah@sheepskinlife.com or call Hannah on 01865 764087

About Sheepskin Alps

When guests book a Sheepskin Alps chalet they will receive the same bespoke service to help plan their alpine holiday as they would for a Sheepskin UK break.

The Sheepskin team can help guests transform their self-catering chalet into a fully catered ski holiday. This is a cost-effective way to ensure that everyone is catered for during their Sheepskin winter holiday and is the perfect partner to a luxuriously comfortable place to stay.  

For those looking to improve their technique or seeking the help of a guide to discover more of the extensive Portes du Soleil area, Sheepskin can link guests with their local partners, so everyone can make the most of their winter sports holiday.

About Sheepskin

• Founded in December 2009 by Directors Helen Shaw and Adam Lloyd
• Based in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds
• A company with a reputation built on its ability to provide guests with a complete escape, to a distinctive property, in a wonderful location.
• From romantic cottage hideaways and spherical tree tents, to larger houses perfect for sharing with family and friends, Sheepskin properties are often quirky and packed full of character, blending contemporary style with rustic charm and all in inspiring locations.
• The company uses its local knowledge to tailor each stay to suit guests' interests, for a highly personalised service
• All home comforts provided – cosy robes, music stations, welcome hampers.