Trekronekabin by Tommie Wilhelmsen, Norway

Accessible only by boat, this private lodge is placed on a steep rock buried deep in the woods
Using only local materials, including oak, pine and fir taken directly from the island, architect Tommie Wilhelmsen has created a sleek but sympathetic intervention into the landscape that is the perfect escape for the owner's family and friends
Sober black and natural oak tone sympathetically with the surroundings, whilst the intersection of house and rock is treated as dramatically as possible, with slender steel pilotis pushed to the edges of the floorplan, and the whole building visually anchored to a rocky outcrop by the vertical concrete shaft of the chimney
The client wanted only one thing; a retreat that evoked the feeling of rising above the trees to catch the sun and watch the ocean, just a few hundred feet away
Designed for summer occupation, rather than as a snowy bolthole, the Sjernaroy cabin is open and inviting, the curving slats of the interior wooden ceilings curving down and round to enclose the sitting area
The large windows frame the views
This house is a model for entertaining on a modest scale, with clean and practical furnishings, as well as a natural flow between spaces
Kitchen fittings are simple and sleek
A fireplace demarcates the living area from the kitchen, while offering heat in all directions
Light floods in through an elevated window
Bedrooms are simple and practical
The master bathroom
Space for the family and guests is maximised in this small, self-contained retreat
Practical bunk beds in one of the bedrooms
An extra living area
A large deck ensures space for outdoor living
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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
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