The Iconic Nordic House is a triumphant survey of some of the most spectacular houses built in the last century, taking the reader on a journey from Carl and Karin Larsson’s eccentrically colourful and warm Arts and Crafts domesticity through to the gravity-defying landscape artefacts that define the Scandinavian house in the modern era.
Villa Sagalid, 2018, Sandell Sandberg, Djurö, Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden
Villa Holme, 1998, Sverre Fehn, Holmsbu, Norway
Explore ‘The Iconic Nordic House’
Written by indefatigable chronicler of contemporary architecture and Wallpaper* contributor Dominic Bradbury, with all-new photography by his regular collaborator Richard Powers, The Iconic Nordic House features 40 defining projects from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, as well as homes located on Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
Villa Mairea, 1939, Alvar Aalto, Noormarkku, Finland
Skigard Hytte, 2019, Mork-Ulnes, Kvitfjell, Norway
Nordic design never really lost its inspirational power, and the assembled structures show why. From Carlsson and Josef Frank, through Gunnar Asplund, Eliel Saarinen, Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto, Jørn Utzon, Sverre Fehn, Finn Juhl and more, the book includes some of the best-known examples of residential design by these influential 20th-century architects. Bradbury traces the origins of these key projects and interviews many of the contemporary architects.
Jacobsen House, 2019, Ósbjørn Jacobsen Syðrugøta, FaroeIslands
Futuro House, 1968, Matti Suuronen, WeeGee Exhibition Centre, Espoo, Finland
Landscape plays just as much a creative role as the architects, with projects alternatively hunkering down and being absorbed by their surroundings or standing tall and contrasting with the wilderness. Both approaches can be found in the book, from Matti Suuronen’s pop icon, the Futuro House, to Studio Granda’s Hof House in Iceland, a low-lying assemblage of green roofs, weathered oak and dark volcanic stone.
Star Lodge, 2023, Snøhetta, The Bolder, Forsand, Norway
PAN Cabin Three, 2018, Espen Surnevik, Åsnes, Norway
It would take a heart of stone not to identify a single personal domestic dream space within these pages, testament to both the photographic craftsmanship of powers and the enduring quality of these forty examples of unique, idiosyncratic design.
Fleinvær Refugium, 2017, Rintala Eggertsson & Tyin Tegnestue, Fleinvær, Norway
Manshausen Sea Cabins, 2015, Snorre Stinessen, Manhausen Island, Norway
'The Iconic Nordic House: Modern Masterworks since 1900,' Dominic Bradbury, with photographs by Richard Powers, £50/$65, ThamesandHudsonUSA.com
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