Consider it two rooms of one’s own—for Oslo-based entrepreneur Are Figved, a small-but-mighty structure adjacent to his century-old home is a place to explore both work and play.

Half of the 807-square-foot floor plan is dedicated to a humble, slightly ethereal workspace that’s illuminated by natural light. In the other half of the building is a jewel case of a room, complete with lofty ceilings and oversized windows, designed to both store and show off his beloved car collection. It’s part office, part garage, and entirely a place of retreat and inspiration.

“There are many writer’s cabins in Norway,” explains architect Espen Vatn, principal of eponymous design studio Vatn. His design for Are is a take on that tradition: a hideaway designed for focus and reflection—albeit one with a unique twist for his autophile client.

“I am very ‘car interested,’ and I spend what people might say is an unreasonable amount of money on cars,” says Are with a laugh. He asked Vatn to design a garage space that would enhance the look of the cars, celebrating them as design objects. Clean and neutral, but modern and stylish: this was the wish list. And Vatn delivered, with an interior of polished-to-a-gleam black concrete and oversized windows that bathe the vehicles in natural light. A lofty ceiling gives the space a cathedral-like quality.

The cars are lit up from the sides and from underneath. Even in freezing Norway winters, when navigating snowy streets can be a challenge, Are finds “everyday joy” by peeking in through the windows.

The dark interior is repeated in the other half of the building, where Are works at a simple built-in cherry-wood desk at the room’s sole window. The window lets in both light and views of a blood birch tree outside, while the office’s compact square footage and low ceilings cocoon you. A curved wall swoops through (“A reinterpretation of the existing language of the house,” says Vatn), amplifying the wrapped-in-a-blanket feeling.

While the palette is dark and moody inside these spaces, the exterior flips the script. Step out through the custom six-and-a-half-foot pivoting steel door and you’ll see that slim white bricks line the outside, complementing the snow-colored main home just steps away. “Usually in Norway, we build in wood—that’s the typical material,” says Vatn. “So this brick was a bit unusual.”

Unusual, maybe, but winning nonetheless. The curving low steps and wall break up the otherwise blocky facade, and reference the curved architectural details of Are’s 100-plus-year-old house.

“From the outset, I wanted to connect to the past, but not be from the past,” Are explains. “It’s more or less timeless.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Studio Vatn / @studio_vatn

Lighting: Flos / @flos

Contractor: Kata Mata Design

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In Norway, a Writer’s Studio Wrapped in White Brick Breaks the Mold