Summerhouse T, Stockholm, Sweden, designed by Krupinski / Krupinska, selected for the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2019
Stockholm-based Krupinski / Krupinska is only four years old, but the young studio’s work has already swept up nominations and wins for local and international competitions and awards. Set up by Konrad Krupinski and Katarina Krupinska, in this short amount of time, the firm has managed to put together a portfolio full of impressive gems – commissions that may feel relatively small scale but display fully the extend of refinement and design aptitude the architects are capable of.
Their Summerhouse T, a small retreat in the local archipelago was completed in 2016 and sits on the site of an early 1900s structure that was once inhabited by a gardener. ‘The original plants and paved walls from this era of the house still remain there to a large extent today,’ say the architects. ‘For the last 25 years another family – a mother and two daughters, also interested in gardening, have used the old existing house as a summer home.’ The studio was called upon to expand the accommodation and living spaces by building a brand new guesthouse for one of the daughters’ own young family.
Summerhouse T was born of a programme including a kitchen, bathroom, dining area, living room, four beds and room for storage – all within a modest 40 sq m. Still, the small but perfectly formed structure is arranged with precision to fit all the necessary functions within an open plan, flowing layout, which features few walls.
Every millimeter is exploited to perfection through the concise, beautiful design that is wholly constructed in wood. The master bedroom, for example, is nestled carefully within the existing, natural gap of a rock on the site; while the living, dining and lounge area have a 180-degree views across the lush nature of the archipelago.
‘Running one’s own practice makes architecture even more fun’
KRUPINSKI / KRUPINSKA
The house’s tight brief and elegant execution perfectly encapsulates the studio’s approach to challenges and opportunities. ‘The challenge is constant,’ say the architects. With every project they find themself questioning ‘How to, as poetically as possible, organise a programme around the needs of a specific context.’ They find context ‘crucial’ to everything they do.
The pair is drawn to the appeal of designing houses: ‘Designing somebody’s home gives us the chance to be someone else for a while’, they say playfully. This is a sentiment that carries across their work, and being a young studio is worth it to them despite the challenges of building up a successful business: ‘Running one’s own practice makes architecture even more fun.’
WALLPAPER* ARCHITECTS’ DIRECTORY 2019
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