A summer house that blends in with the Swedish west coast

what! arkitektur designed the exclusive Villa Klåva summer house in wood and adapted to the surrounding scenery.

what! arkitektur designed the Villa Klåva summer house to the north of Gothenburg in Bohuslän – a simple and stylish summer house that is also extremely exclusive.

Sofie Sierts Gyllving, architect SAR/MSA at what! arkitektur, says they had some important elements to work on when designing the summer house: The architecture had to be adapted to the surrounding landscape and the sea prospect used to the maximum.

"We wanted to design a house shaped according to its surroundings and that would interact with rather than dominate them. That’s why the angled structures of the house follow the natural shape of the rock. A large glass area faces the sea to the west, and the kitchen, living room and terrace become a single room in the summer," she says.

An oasis, outdoors and in

The house is primarily constructed in wood – indoors and out – and the architects endeavoured to use natural materials in the same colour scale as the surrounding Bohusland scenery.

The grey wood cladding on the house’s facade is intended to interact with the rocky landscape. The sedum roof connects to the area’s vegetation. "Wood is an obvious choice for us in summer house projects, as it's beautiful, practical and durable. In this case, it is also linked to the area’s traditional wooden houses," says Sofie, who adds:

"The interior wood in the construction, kitchen and furniture is in warm tones to create a cosy atmosphere – as a contrast to the harsh nature outside. For example, the window frames in oiled oak and the sauna in cedar wood."

Sofie is particularly pleased with how the building uses the plot’s contrasts between the rugged rocky landscape and vegetation, between wind and shelter – and between the open and protected. All these elements were incorporated into the architecture. She also highlights the varied views residents have as they move through the building:

"From the kitchen you can see the sea, from the bedroom a green meadow, and from the bathtub there is a beautiful rock wall framed, which almost becomes a painting."

Troldtekt as an extra design factor

Troldtekt acoustic panels in the design variant Troldtekt line were chosen for all the ceilings, which have longitudinal grooves milled into the surface. The panels are made of natural wood, which harmonises with the rest of the house’s colour scheme. "Because the floors are in limestone, it's important to manage the acoustics," says Sofie:

"With Troldtekt, we were able to achieve a pleasant acoustic environment. Troldtekt also matched the house’s concept of wood materials, and the Troldtekt line variant fits well into a building with high design ambitions. We think the product has a fine balance between precision and naturalness. The concealed screws also provide a stylish finish."