‘A House’ is idyllically placed among the wooded expanses of Lilla Kilskäret, an island of the Swedish archipelago outside the capital of Stockholm. This small architectural cabin, a piece of Nordic minimalist architecture, is the work of emerging practice studio nāv, and it was especially conceived as a summer home for a young couple.
‘A House’ by studio nāv
Building in such a pristine, natural location sounds like an architect's – and client’s – dream, but it didn't come without its issues. 'Due to a challenging site and local building regulations, the house needed to have a small footprint and blend in with the landscape,' the team, led by studio founders Carl Fransson and Thomas Paltiel, explain.
As a result, the interior is a clever, flexible, open-plan space. A single, open room, wrapped in swathes of glass that make it at one with its green environment, contains the pared-down living space and bedroom area. Glulam framework ensures the construction was fast and easy, while its timber nature, alongside similar interior surfaces, defines the architects' overall organic material approach that matches the verdant surroundings.
The home has three glass sides with openings that can be drawn back to unite interior and exterior, and one opaque one. However, the architects made sure residents can, at the same time, feel comfortable and protected inside their minimalist cabin. 'To provide privacy, a large drapery was added to the interior. This drapery runs the length of three façades and can completely seal the building off. In addition, a black detachable mesh was mounted on the exterior, making the house less visible from the water,' the team write.
-
Beach chic: the all-new Citroën Ami gets an acid-tinged, open-air Buggy variantCitroën have brought a dose of polychromatic playfulness to their new generation Ami microcar, the cult all-ages electric quadricycle that channels the spirit of the 2CV for the modern age
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery WeekendBerlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from KotoThe Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
-
This striking new vineyard is putting Swedish wine on the mapBerglund Arkitekter completes a new home for Kullabergs Vingård in Sweden's verdant Skåne country
-
‘Close to solitude, but with a neighbour’: Furu’s cabins in the woods are a tranquil escapeTaking its name from the Swedish word for ‘pine tree’, creative project management studio Furu is growing against the grain
-
Stockholm Wood City: inside the extraordinary timber architecture projectStockholm Wood City is leading the way in timber architecture; we speak to the people behind it to find out the who, what, why and how of the project
-
A bold new water tower by White Arkitekter strides across the Swedish landscapeThe Våga Water Tower in Varberg is a monument to civil engineering, a functional concrete sculpture that's designed to last for centuries
-
This Swedish summer house is a family's serene retreat by the trees and the Baltic seaHorsö, a Swedish summer house by Atelier Alba is a playfully elegant retreat by the Kalmarsund Sea and a natural reserve
-
Tour this Estonian tiny home with big ambitionsÖÖD Golden House, a new Estonian cabin concept, promises to offer a compact design for small and perfectly formed escapes
-
Explore wood architecture, Paris' new timber tower and how to make sustainable construction look ‘iconic’A new timber tower brings wood architecture into sharp focus in Paris and highlights ways to craft buildings that are both sustainable and look great: we spoke to project architects LAN, and explore the genre through further examples
