The best cabins create a dialogue with the landscape by sensitively responding to the site and integrating the view. On a small, private island in Norway’s Kjerringholmen archipelago, Line Solgaard Arkitekter built a modest summerhouse for a young family that epitomizes this approach. Perched on slender steel stilts above the rocky shoreline, it celebrates the site while blending in with the landscape.

“We wanted to create something that would touch the beautiful landscape and the rocks very lightly,” explains architect Line Solgaard. “The rocks were shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago; we wanted to expose their beauty, and for whatever we built to be reversible.”

The clients, a young couple with two children, wanted a summerhouse where they could spend time on holidays and weekends. While the 678-square-foot home has a small footprint, it was essential that it provide comfort and privacy for the family, with separate bedrooms for each child and two bathrooms.

The home is arranged in a practical U-shaped plan. The children’s bedrooms are in one wing, the parents’ suite is in the opposite wing, and the common areas (including the kitchen, dining, and living rooms) are in the middle. The living space opens to a timber deck that leads directly onto the rocks, which the family can use as a sitting area.

“I’ve visited the house in all kinds of weather, and it’s a really amazing experience,” says Solgaard. “It’s particularly special when there’s a storm, as you can see the force of the weather and the trees bending—but you are still protected. It’s like being in a boat on land.”

The home’s design celebrates raw materials that evoke the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The interior is clad entirely in light timber, and the use of a single material makes the compact space feel more generous. “It also gives it a calmness,” says Solgaard. “It’s a very contemplative space.”

Originally, the firm planned to clad the entire cabin in ash—inside and out—but after considering the project’s budget, the team opted to use ash for the exterior cladding, ceiling, and walls, and to use more affordable and accessible pine timber elsewhere. “The facade material was one of the most expensive parts of the build,” reveals Solgaard. “But it was important, as it needed to maintain a high quality for a long time in a harsh environment.”

As the years go by and the cabin‘s timber facade is exposed to the elements, it will gradually patinate to become the same color as the rocks and almost disappear into the landscape. The structure is also broken into four volumes with different roof angles to dissolve its mass. “We wanted to pick up on the geometry of the landscape,” says Solgaard. “A single, large roof would have felt alien here.”

“The biggest challenge for this project was designing a home that would respect the beautiful landscape,” says Solgaard. “I feel very humbled by the landscape, and wanted to make sure we didn’t build anything that was too strange to the area. The clients love the resulting home—it’s their dream.”

Related Reading:

A Cedar-Clad Cabin With a Glass “Sunroof” Rises on a Hillside in Norway

An Idyllic Swedish Summer House Channels Japanese Vibes

Project Credits:

Architect: Line Solgaard Arkitekter / @linesolgaardarkitekter

Builder: Jostein Solgaard

Lighting Design: Concept Design

Photographer: Einar Aslaksen

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A Tiny Timber Cabin Touches Down on a Private Island in Norway