Outdoor

Every room in the home, be it the top-floor great room or the downstairs bedrooms, open onto outdoor patios.

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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.”

An outdoor breezeway between the storage shed and the main house is ideal for outdoor dining.

A view of the master bedroom and bath, seen from the west side of the property.

A new carport was constructed to accommodate a ramp on the interior.

The driveway entrance introduces the stately side of the home, displaying clean lines made of concrete and Cor-Ten steel. Almost every material implemented in this home was done so to create a maintenance-free space that withstands the weather and betters with age. The design required minimal alteration of the site, a notable accomplishment in land preservation. To maintain the natural grade, the structure is elevated and cantilevered at the slope, held up by columns which needed only a small amount of foundation work. The only major land disturbance occurs in the recessed garage, which has been supplemented with a green roof on top to preserve the meadow.

Atop the carport is a Hopper table and shade by Extremis.

A vintage Malm fireplace is paired with Pebble seats "K" by Atelier Vierkant.

The team preserved the deck, but installed a new railing.

The landscape design, by Anna Boeschenstein of Grounded, followed a 2,200-square-foot extension by Formwork architects Robert and Cecilia H. Nichols. The front door is painted in Chinese Red by Sherwin-Williams.

To combat the site’s steep, uneven grade, Boeschenstein staggered a series of ipe decks around the two main volumes of the house. Atticus joins his brother, Bodhi, on the zigzag decks.

The exterior features Western red cedar siding and a standing-seam metal roof. The home is engineered to meet Passive House standards, with Makrowin Passive House Certified windows and blown mineral wool and cellulose insulation.

"We didn't want to put a lot of furniture out there," says Terry of the east terrace, adding that they sometimes bring the dining table outside for meals. "You can make it work with whatever you want."

The streamlined shape of the home kept slab, framing, and roofing costs down, Pavonetti explains. A barn red shade on the front door adds a touch of farmhouse whimsy to the modern structure.

"Architecture can be powerful when it's restrained,