Architect Johan Sundberg’s tree house hides in Swedish scenery

This private summer retreat in Sweden designed by Lund-based architect Johan Sundberg is submerged into its green surroundings, yet wide open to views of the sea through its sliding glazed facade to the south – it has us dreaming of long days and Scandiavian summers

Sommarhus Solviken is reached by a long stair that leads up to the house from street level, to a large balcony that runs along two sides of the house
Sommarhus Solviken is reached by a long stair that leads up to the house from street level, to a large balcony that runs along two sides of the house.
(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

In the scenic Swedish resort town of Mölle, Johan Sundberg Arkitektur has tucked a compact retreat in the tree-tops overlooking the sea. Positioned on a steep incline of land, thickly covered by deciduous trees, the structure is anchored by 12 slim, steel columns that create the effect of a floating tree-house in the foliage.

Materials were chosen to reflect the natural surroundings and help camouflages the retreat into its location. Exterior elements such as the façade boards and balcony railings were coloured in subdued green hues, while the frames of the doors and windows are aluminium powder coated in black. The sturdy dark grey stone helps the inhabitants feel safe inside while suspended in nature.

Sommarhus Solviken

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

Hiding the house in its environment was one of the conditions of the local planning department when designing the house. The coast of the Kulla peninsula is saturated with holiday houses, and Lund-based architect Johan Sundberg’s challenge was to leave as little imprint on the landscape as possible, and to leave any neighbour’s views and land undisturbed.

The effect for the inhabitants of Sommarhus Solviken is welcomed – looking outside the bedroom window is like diving into nature itself. ‘You greet the squirrel every day as if he were another family member,’ jokes Sundberg, who was featured in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2010 and completed the Japanese-inspired Sommarhus T in Ljunghusen last year.

The retreat at dusk

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

The simple rectangular plan of the Sommarhus Solviken modestly conceals it’s strategic modernism. There are no corridors, and the rooms cleverly interlock together with a custom-designed oak interior, with ten metres of glass partitions to the south, ready to be fully opened up for the best sea-views.

‘I like to imagine the house as a small chest, a finely carved cabinet in which all details are pieced together into an integrated whole,’ says Sundberg.

Living space

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

Entry and garage

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

Interior

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

Kitchen and balcony

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

Tree house view

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

The retreat in the forest

(Image credit: Peo Olsson)

INFORMATION
johansundberg.com

Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.