Cabins

The light-filled dining room—the anchor point of the “L” on the home’s first floor—overlooks lush greenery in the front yard.

The cottage is located on a site just over an hour from Gothenburg and two-and-a-half hours from Oslo, Bohuslän was the ideal location. “We immediately fell in love with the slightly hilly site and its location along a narrow dirt road with cows grazing on the other side,” says Helena. “Until then, I had never thought of building a summer house but when we got the chance, we just had to take it. Especially when my old friend Susanna said she could design a house for us.”

The split form of the house is a simple and effective way to separate the social and private areas.

Site restrictions limited the structure’s footprint, so Benson found additional space by creating a loft.

Beyond the new addition, the undertaking also improved the existing 1980s brown brick home—reconfiguring the living, kitchen, and dining areas.

Carlos Naude and Whitney Brown enjoy the outdoor dining area with their son, Rico, and dog, Mona. Kinto table settings complete the tableau.

Curtis designed the Ash built-in bench and table, to be narrow enough so as not to encroach the living room, yet still fit the whole family. The “elevated but casual” stools, another Urbanology design, are covered in a textural wool, and designed to tuck completely under the table or move around as needed.

The house's two walls of glass allow one to see straight through it.

The house's south side looks onto the meadow that Jenny and Shawn first fell in love with.

The bedroom features a large picture window and built-in shelving and seating.