This Swedish villa, on the country’s southern tip, is a soothing family home set within the coastal town of Höllviken, rich in vibrant Viking history. Designed by Johan Sundberg, architect and founder of his eponymous firm, the residence, titled Villa HDV, is a direct response to its context, boasting a hard-shell façade that, when peeled back, unveils a cosy core.
Step inside this Swedish villa with a cosy interior
The residence is defined by its inner courtyard, which houses a pool and is bordered by the living areas and a bedroom. However, the plot was deep and not especially large, which meant that finding enough room to create this sheltered space took careful planning.
Sundberg explains, ‘There was also the accumulated complexity of making the building work. It has many corners and a freeform upper floor, combining a timber frame with a concrete structure. A great deal of work went into the timber detailing of the roofs, eaves and pergolas, and into resolving the zinc details around the curved upper floor. It comes down to many small decisions and adjustments. This is a patient and sometimes tedious part of architecture, but I think it deserves attention: much of the quality of the finished house depends on work that you might never consciously notice.’
Using this as a foundation, the architect made sure that the residence was in constant dialogue with nature, while also balancing a sense of enclosure. The concept's core? A home as a secret retreat embraced by nature.
‘The plan has shifts in it that create more intimate places, and we worked with the gardens in the same way. I thought of the concrete exterior as a protective shell, almost like a tortoise, with a softer and more sensitive inside where the family spaces and gardens are,’ Sundberg tells Wallpaper*. ‘From early on, we also wanted the character to come from the materials themselves: concrete, natural stone and timber, with their different textures and the way they change over time.’
The interior of the residence feels like a relaxing exhale. Soft curves let the eye travel across the interior, inviting users to unwind with the residence's rhythm. Wooden walls and cabinetry envelop the kitchen, while a living room window – with a seating nook – frames the garden outside. The bedrooms’ soft geometries continue the building’s gentle aesthetic.
Sundberg notes that the client has already embraced bringing the outdoors in, integrating planting throughout, and the architect hopes that the building will one day be covered in vegetation.
‘There seems to be no limit to the feeling of home that can develop through that relationship. This has interested me since my first houses, but here the relationship with the garden is more developed, reaching into different spaces around the building,’ says Sundberg. ‘I’m particularly fond of the kitchen garden to the east, with its morning sun. Seeing the planting grow into the architecture, and the family continue that process, is perhaps the most satisfying part of the project.’
The overall feel of Villa HDV is one of relaxation, as Sundberg concludes: ‘The views, materials and movement between rooms should invite you to explore, while also giving you places where you simply want to sit and stay. For me, comfort and curiosity belong together in a house.’
