Why Does This Swedish Home Look So Crisp? The Wood Cladding Doesn’t Have Any Knots

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Project Details:

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Architect: Kolman Boye Architects / @kolmanboye

Footprint: 1,750 square feet

Structural Engineer: Algeba AB

Cabinetry Design: Kitchen & Room Scandinavia AB

Photographer: Johan Dehlin / @johan_dehlin

From the Architect: "Nestled just northwest of the picturesque Skurusundet strait, this small property posed several challenges for potential buyers envisioning a new house. The site is a deep ravine bordered by cliffs to the east and west, with limited road access. While the elevated crags of the property offer stunning views of the Stockholm port inlet, accessing these heights while adhering to planning regulations and feasible building costs was daunting.

"Historically, the area around the property was a summer retreat for people of modest means, characterized by small, simple red cottages available for subsidized summer stays. Due to its proximity to Stockholm, most of these cabins have now been replaced by larger, permanent residences. This particular site, however, formerly held a larger structure; evidence of which can be seen in the terraced landscape walls descending through the ravine, ending in a semicircular fish pond framed by a solid granite wall.

"The new house is a strict three-story structure with a compact plan that leaves a minimal footprint. By partially embedding the building into the existing steep cliffside, the necessary height for an additional story was achieved while simultaneously reducing visual impact. As such, the building incorporates the existing terraces with minimal further changes. The strict division of the timber into horizontal and vertical elements, opposes the terrain and lends the relation between house and site a strong character.

"A central timber stair ties the three floors of the building together and organizes the plan. The bottom floor of the building comprises utility spaces. The middle floor is serves as the entrance floor, holding wardrobes and bedrooms. The fully glazed, open-plan top floor offers striking views of the Stockholm port inlet and is designed as a combined kitchen and living room. Each floor has direct access to different levels of the terraced rock garden outside.

"The building uses renewable materials where possible, given the particular characteristics of the site. This project tested an idea of upgrading raw wood material. Knotty pinewood was turned into knotless pinewood through a select-saw-glue process. The knotty wood was used for invisible interior structural parts, while the carefully selected flawless parts were exposed. As such, the pinewood was turned from an affordable and readily available material into one with more subtle and graceful textural qualities."