Nordic minimalism rules in Hallen, a new-build house by the Baltic Sea in Southern Sweden. Designed by architect Åsa Hjort for herself and her family, the home – a simple, white, L-shaped footprint structure – has been tailored for the family’s lifestyle using a restrained material palette and minimalist architecture principles.
Hallen: architectural simplicity within the Swedish countryside
Hjort, a Swedish architect based in London, explains: 'We bought the plot in 2010 and initially thought we could renovate the original house but due to different factors it was deemed unsuitable, and we started to discuss a new-build house. The area has strict planning regulations, [with] both shoreline and landscape protection, which meant that the size and location of the new house had to be similar to the original house. The area, in the outskirts of Kivik, has houses from a mix of different time periods with a varied architecture, which gave me freedom during the design process.'
The structure is made out of five interlocking volumes, with its openings framing either the wooded area right outside, or the sea in the distance. Restoring the landscape to a meadow surrounding the home was also an important element of the project, embedding it into its context.
'After living many years in the original house, I had a clear idea of how I wanted the house to work and how we wanted our life to be there. Qualities from the existing house were reinterpreted, such as the size and position of the window above the kitchen counter, which gives a beautiful, framed view of the tree trunks in the forest. The width of the house is similar to the original, which creates an open space that gives views towards both the forest and the ocean,' Hjort says.
Inside, a mix of bedrooms, an office, and an expansive living area ensure life in the house is comfortable and connects to the outdoors through carefully placed windows. Light grey plaster and natural-coloured timber offset the crisper, white exterior, making for a warm, welcoming home.
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