We were approached by a young, vibrant couple who wanted to build a summer house at a lot they had been eyeing for some time at Värmdö in the inner parts of the Stockholm archipelago. The ambition was a house which would support the family and their social gatherings during summer months and the occasional weekend. Following a first visit to the lot, the idea of the house quickly came to life in a shape dictated by the topography of the site; an L shape which hugged the contour of the rocky outcrop, with two small additional buildings that followed the slope and a terrace to connect them all. The idea was to work with the lot rather than against it, and to preserve as much as possible.
The aesthetic of the house was guided by a strive for countryside elegance – clean, refined design using materials which felt connected to the site. The matte black, granite and sedum exterior is met with an interior made up of two oak nuances, granite, Swedish green marble, concrete, wool carpet and linen curtains. We chose to add grilles to the windows in order to break up the large surfaces and add a sense of comfort to dark autumn nights.
After its completion, the house turned out to be something beyond the clients’ expectations, and has come to be a place not just for summer holidays, but a place which they now enjoy on most weekends and holidays of the year.
