Villa Kymmendö Floats Above a Private Island Near Stockholm

Author
  • Field Mag
Photographer
  • Åke E:son Lindman

This private island summer home off the coast of Stockholm embraces nature in distinct Mies van der Rohe style


Published: 07-02-2019

About the author

Field Mag Editors
Field Mag Editors
Insight and inspiration from the Field Mag editorial team, sharing decades of hard-earned experience and knowhow.

When we’re not steadily researching the most dreamy A-Frames and actually affordable prefab cabins, we continue to obsesses over the simplicity of Scandinavian summer home design. This week’s architectural inspo comes from a familiar place—Sweden—and doesn’t disappoint.

With a design directly inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s iconic 1951 floating Farnsworth House, Villa Kymmendö sits atop a barely-there private island in the Stockholm Archipelago on two ten-meter wide cantilevered planes. Just a few km from the city itself yet seemingly set adrift in the Baltic Sea, the hyper minimalist, 230-square-meter house is employs 360 degree floor-to-ceiling glazed windows with large sliding partitions that extend the open-plan living space onto generous terrace and patio spaces.

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Designed and built primarily using three elemental materials—timber, stone, glass—the home features local Gotland sandstone throughout with all non-furniture elements being built-in using solid Oregon pine (including four bunkbed alcoves, a kitchen and fireplace unit, and bathroom). Collectively the building appears light and detached from the ground, purposefully not encroaching on the natural environment.

Conceived by Jordens Arkitekter—a design firm based in both Los Angeles and Stockholm—the floating villa does well to depart from traditional building styles the region is known for to create a truly unique cabin worthy of much day dreaming.

Find more images and information from Jordens Arkitekter directly.

For more Architectural Inspo, check out our Cabins section