Since Swedish-born UK-based architect Magnus Ström set up his eponymous firm in 2010, his client-base and portfolio has been steadily expanding yet the ethos at the heart of his practice remains the same. In 2012, when Wallpaper first highlighted his practice in the Architect’s Directory, he explained, ‘the client and the site or environment inspire our designs and how we create spaces. We seek a holistic and tectonic approach.'
This approach is evident in the firm’s latest project – a holiday home set on the waterfront on the Isle of Wight. Overlooking a creek with views of the Solent beyond, Island Rest is a secluded and understated retreat with direct access to the water.
The building, Ström says, was designed so that it almost disappears into the tree-dotted landscape thanks to its low, linear profile and larch timber cladding. The plan is divided into two parts – a generous oak-wrapped living area and master bedroom on one side, and a bedroom ‘wing’ on the other, which is cantilevered above a flood plain. The home is carefully orientated to the north so as to frame the spectacular sea view through generous sections of full-height glazing. Sloping overhangs open the house up to the sky and bring in as much light as possible to the north, while a sheltered, south-facing courtyard at the back of the house provides a spot for outdoor dining.
‘When you set up a practice, you start off really ambitious but also quite naive; you learn a lot along the way,' says Strom, reflecting on the last ten years and his firm’s growing portfolio of simple but show-stopping residential properties.
‘After a while, everything settles down a bit and who you are and what you do well begins to crystalise. For us, we realised that what we did really well was one-off houses and in the last few years that’s become who we are. Being niche has worked out really well for us.'
As a result Ström Architects has received recognition in the form of multiple award nominations and wins. In particular the firm’s project, The Quest, was shortlisted for RIBA's House of the Year in 2017 and won five other awards including The Sunday Times British Homes Awards. Currently, the 8-strong team is flat out working on houses in Barcelona, New Zealand, the USA and Sweden.
MORE FROM WALLPAPER* ARCHITECTS DIRECTORY 2020
INFORMATION
stromarchitects.com
-
Pharrell Williams’ latest Louis Vuitton show celebrates a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend NigoLouis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams looked towards his long friendship with BAPE founder Nigo to create a collaborative A/W 2025 menswear collection shown in Paris this evening (21 January 2025)
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
-
Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
-
Fire-damaged Walworth Town Hall shows off majestic transformationWalworth Town Hall gets a much-needed reimagining by Feix & Merlin, who transformed the heritage building into a contemporary workspace and a hub of its local community in south London
-
Hanif Kara on building materials, the transition from old to new, and a healthy dose of realismHanif Kara, co-founder of structural engineering practice AKT II, discusses building materials and the future of sustainability
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A brutalist garden revived: the case of the Mountbatten House grounds by Studio Knight StokoeTour a brutalist garden redesign by Studio Knight Stokoe at Mountbatten House, a revived classic in Basingstoke, UK
