My Houzz: A New-build Scandi Home Inspired by its Surroundings
This modern, pared-back house, designed by a top Swedish architect, lets nature’s beauty shine through
Martina Strand
28 June 2017
“It was definitely a dream to build a house that is unusual for this location,” says Jonas Lyckstedt, who with his wife Maria built this house in Bredsand, northwest of Stockholm, in 2010. It is in a neighbourhood with many other modern buildings, but this one has more of a raw character. Lyckstedt says that visitors are split into two factions: “Those who love the house and find it extremely beautiful, and those who almost hate it.” He doesn’t mind, and feels that more buildings should have such a distinct character, which is capable of evoking strong feelings.
The couple fell for this style of house when they visited a friend who lives in a similar one, also designed by Gert Wingårdh, one of Sweden’s most famous architects. They liked everything about it – the space, the size, the layout and the windows. “Gert Wingårdh is good at drafting floor plans that allow you to see through the house, and you’re constantly curious about what’s waiting around the next corner,” says Lyckstedt. “Once you’ve lived in this kind of home, you understand the beauty of a building in which the architect really thought through the placement of the windows and everything.”
The couple fell for this style of house when they visited a friend who lives in a similar one, also designed by Gert Wingårdh, one of Sweden’s most famous architects. They liked everything about it – the space, the size, the layout and the windows. “Gert Wingårdh is good at drafting floor plans that allow you to see through the house, and you’re constantly curious about what’s waiting around the next corner,” says Lyckstedt. “Once you’ve lived in this kind of home, you understand the beauty of a building in which the architect really thought through the placement of the windows and everything.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Jonas and Maria Lyckstedt and their children Alma and Moa
Location Bredsand, Sweden
Property A new-build built in 2010
Size 210 sq m of living space, 30 sq m of storage space in the form of a garden shed, and about 1,948 sq m of land
Architect Gert Wingårdh
Photos by Fredric Boukari
The floor plan of the house is one of a series of designs by the famous Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh. “There’s a version that you can build on a slope, and one smaller and one larger version of the same house,” says Lyckstedt.
Outside, there’s small patio with a pergola on the right side of the house, which gets morning sun, plus a large back terrace that gets sun during the day and in the early evening. Illumination designed by Delta Light kicks in when darkness comes. “We have the same lights both inside and out to create a unifying effect. Delta Light offers product lines that stand out and also mask the light source itself,” says Lyckstedt. “We are especially fond of the deep, embedded spotlights.”
Who lives here Jonas and Maria Lyckstedt and their children Alma and Moa
Location Bredsand, Sweden
Property A new-build built in 2010
Size 210 sq m of living space, 30 sq m of storage space in the form of a garden shed, and about 1,948 sq m of land
Architect Gert Wingårdh
Photos by Fredric Boukari
The floor plan of the house is one of a series of designs by the famous Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh. “There’s a version that you can build on a slope, and one smaller and one larger version of the same house,” says Lyckstedt.
Outside, there’s small patio with a pergola on the right side of the house, which gets morning sun, plus a large back terrace that gets sun during the day and in the early evening. Illumination designed by Delta Light kicks in when darkness comes. “We have the same lights both inside and out to create a unifying effect. Delta Light offers product lines that stand out and also mask the light source itself,” says Lyckstedt. “We are especially fond of the deep, embedded spotlights.”
The wooden facade has been treated with ferrous sulfate, which adds colour without masking the details and characteristics of the wood. The windows are made by Velfac; they are popular because, as Lyckstedt notes, they are sleek with a thin frame.
The house is just on the edge of a forest, and pines stand close by (you can see their reflections in the windows). Instead of balconies, which would have overshadowed the terrace, there are waist-high glass barriers on the insides of the windows.
The house is just on the edge of a forest, and pines stand close by (you can see their reflections in the windows). Instead of balconies, which would have overshadowed the terrace, there are waist-high glass barriers on the insides of the windows.
The garden area at the back of the house was designed by Johan Myhr at LandArk and features a mix of grass plantings, gravel, concrete and rusty sheet metal. Myhr was also involved in choosing the position of the new-build house. “We collaborated well with LandArk and together we chose to work with the natural landscape and the forest,” says Lyckstedt. “Likewise, the plants in the garden are very common around here.” Outside the entrance (see below), Myhr and Lyckstedt decided not to go with a hedge, but instead to plant just tall grass to make it more secluded, as hedges would have felt too landscaped.
At the front of the house, a long, narrow window creates a bright entrance, but it is cleverly positioned to make it difficult to see into the house from the street. The idea was to have the front facade shield the interior of the house, while leaving the back open (see above) to the surrounding greenery.
The ground floor is one big social area with three zones: the kitchen (just out of the shot at the back left), an area with sofas, and a dining space (just seen in the front right corner). “The shop counter at the back of the picture I found in a candy store in Smedjebacken in Dalarna,” says Lyckstedt.
Table behind the sofa, Asplund. Rabbit lamp, Front. Sofas, BoConcept.
9 ways to create zones in an open-plan home
Table behind the sofa, Asplund. Rabbit lamp, Front. Sofas, BoConcept.
9 ways to create zones in an open-plan home
“The inside décor is quite raw, just like the outside of the house,” says Lyckstedt. “To really emphasise the theme, we have used Cor-Ten steel, which looks rusty, on planters in the garden. We also wanted to incorporate that pared-back feeling into the inside décor by using different tones of grey, raw materials and a simple overall style.”
“Wingårdh, the architect, designed the house with sections of windows on each side,” says Lyckstedt. “We didn’t want individual windows in various places, but window sections of varying sizes. It gives character to the entire house.”
The island unit defines the kitchen area of the open-plan living space, and the light that comes in through the windows falls beautifully on it, reflecting the forest outside. The worktops are made of Corian, which is more resistant than stone.
Kitchen, Kungsäter Kök. Appliances, Miele.
The island unit defines the kitchen area of the open-plan living space, and the light that comes in through the windows falls beautifully on it, reflecting the forest outside. The worktops are made of Corian, which is more resistant than stone.
Kitchen, Kungsäter Kök. Appliances, Miele.
White-stained plywood boards cover two of the walls in the dining area of the open-plan living space. They work as a background for the Tom Dixon copper pendant lights. The dining table is from No Early Birds and the chairs are from Muuto. To the left is a cabinet with doors from Superfront. The small table in the corner is from House Doctor, as is the wall light.
The Lyckstedts made the floor covering under the table themselves. They simply cross-stitched together three simple rugs from Coop, using orange thread. “It was difficult to find a rug that was large and to our taste. Plus, we have kids. We thought, ‘How can we make something cool, that looks good, and that we won’t really have to take care of?’ This was the solution. We bought a big needle and the same kind of thread you make rugs with, but in a colour, rather than white or another neutral tone,” says Lyckstedt.
The door to the right of the dining table leads to a study/guest room.
Like the statement walls here? Take a look at some other cool wallcoverings
The Lyckstedts made the floor covering under the table themselves. They simply cross-stitched together three simple rugs from Coop, using orange thread. “It was difficult to find a rug that was large and to our taste. Plus, we have kids. We thought, ‘How can we make something cool, that looks good, and that we won’t really have to take care of?’ This was the solution. We bought a big needle and the same kind of thread you make rugs with, but in a colour, rather than white or another neutral tone,” says Lyckstedt.
The door to the right of the dining table leads to a study/guest room.
Like the statement walls here? Take a look at some other cool wallcoverings
The bathroom has a striking lighting detail, which is a great idea for any dark, windowless bathroom. “It’s customised frosted glass in opaque white, with a light strip at the bottom, which was fixed to the wall,” says Lyckstedt. “We paid around £900 for everything, including the light strip, and we did most of it ourselves with the help of an electrician. You need to use hardened glass. The brackets were the most expensive bit – it takes quite a lot to hold such a heavy piece of glass.”
Bath, Mora.
Bath, Mora.
This luxurious and functional Swedish house obviously has a beautiful and functional sauna. “It’s great having a deeper bench at an angle to provide a wider seat. The sauna heater is manufactured by Harvia. Since it’s high and can hold so much stone, you can pour water over a bigger area to create more steam,” says Lyckstedt.
The floor and walls – as well as the floors in the hallway, kitchen and both bathrooms – are decorated with concrete tiles from the Portuguese supplier Revigres.
The floor and walls – as well as the floors in the hallway, kitchen and both bathrooms – are decorated with concrete tiles from the Portuguese supplier Revigres.
Silk curtains hang on the window of the main bedroom; the other curtains in the house are linen.
Two reading lamps from Örsjö hang cleverly from the ceiling.
Lyckstedt and his wife wanted the children’s rooms to be playful. The yellow paint on the accent wall in Moa’s room continues up onto the ceiling to emulate sunbeams.
Lyckstedt sawed down the legs of a chest of drawers from Ikea to get it to a proper height for a bedside table.
Lyckstedt sawed down the legs of a chest of drawers from Ikea to get it to a proper height for a bedside table.
A plastic dog designed by Eero Aarnio for Magis guards the hammock.
The family room upstairs offers a great overhead view of the garden. The colour scheme picks up on the shades found outside.
Be inspired by another Scandi home
Be inspired by another Scandi home
The paintings in the family room make the ceiling appear lower, creating a more intimate feeling. The small squares in the ceiling are embedded spotlights that create a cosy atmosphere when darkness falls over the forest outside.
What do you love about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you love about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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The plastic dog guarding the hammock is a beautiful touch!
Love all the windows that bring the outside in! I wish I had a sauna like that, too!
The accent wall behind the bath tub literally took my breath away. I've been struggling with what to do with the tub wall in my upcoming reno, and I so hope I can do this! Absolutely stunning