Queenstown gets cold in winter, hence the installation of a sauna. Outside, the landscaping was kept deliberately casual, with rock walls and gravel paths.
A wood-burning stove from Harvia, of Finland, heats the sauna. The pavilion’s rough-cut pine walls are treated with tar, a preservative that yields a time-worn aesthetic.
Both a workspace and sauna, this 34-square-foot hut, which belongs to Finnish artist Helle Kvamme, mixes business and pleasure in astoundingly close quarters. The steam-filled studio is heated by a woodstove underneath.
Copyright Helle Kvamme.
The sauna door handle is a simple piece of driftwood. “One principle rule I followed,” says Kiehl, “was: Don’t build on outdoor space if it can work as outdoor living space. Norwegian summers are short. We want to be outdoors as much as possible.”