How do you build a house on an unspoilt natural site without destroying the very nature that makes that site so special? This was the question faced by the owners of Villa Åkerman when they came to this plot in Värmdö, which sits in the middle of the Stockholm Archipelago, back in 2013. Albert and Amanda Åkerman wanted to create a family home that would embrace the nature surrounding it while also respecting the site. As Albert says in an interview published in Swedish Elle Decoration in June 2016, even if the house isn’t here in 100 years, the couple wanted the rock that it sits upon to be intact.
Working with architect Vasco Trigueiros, the couple created a house – which is now on the market with Fantastic Frank – that sits lightly on the land, as the building is attached to the rock with nine iron beams. Inspired by American Case Study houses, Villa Åkerman was designed using natural materials that again reflect the location including larch wood, oak veneer and alpine limestone. Large windows and entirely glazed walls draw in the views, connecting the interior to the nature that envelops the house, which borders a nature reserve, and the wildlife that shares this land.
The couple have two daughters and so it was crucial that the house worked for family living. The interior may feel striking in its simplicity and in the beauty of these natural finishes, but it wasn’t designed to be ‘precious’. Hidden storage was integrated throughout, so everyday items can be scooped up and tucked away, while sliding doors open up the floor plan when needed. Likewise, large terraces spill the living space outside.
I love everything about this house: the restrained palette of materials and colours, and particularly the use of timber finishes internally and the full height cabinetry, which enhances the sense of volume and the visual simplicity of this interior; the connection with nature, as the house soaks in its environment from every angle; and the ethos of building a home that rests so lightly on its site.
See more of Villa Åkerman on the listing from Fantastic Frank.
All photography via Fantastic Frank.
