PLACES

Minimalist cottage

Text: Mariola Weindich-Mašek, photos: James Silverman

5 August 2018

Is it possible to build a minimalist, highly functional cottage, which will also fit perfectly into the surrounding space? Norwegian designers from Snohetta studio have faced such a task and once again they have proved that they are the real experts in designing. Bjellandsbu - Åkrafjorden is the name of a wonderfully situated cottage which is located on the shores of a lake, in pristine mountainous terrain, near Åkrafjorden. This wonderful place can only be reached on foot or on a horseback.

One of the priorities of this project was to make it an integral part of the landscape, which is composed mainly of grass, heather and rocks. Therefore, the cottage has been built from some of these materials . Here, there is no lack of wood, stone and, of course, green roofs, so typical of the landscape of Norway.

The entire hut is only 35 m2. Nevertheless, it can accommodate up to ... 21 people! How is this possible? By combining functional solutions and traditions. A fireplace was placed in the centre of the hut, and there are beds all around it. Those can fulfil different functions, depending on the time of the day . They are meant not only for sleeping, but also having meals, sitting or as a places of evening chats.

The narrow part of the cabin is a fully-equipped kitchen having space for storing things. Its original shape and excellent selection of materials made this building ideally fit into the surroundings.