ERMITAGE | SEPTEMBRE Architecture & Urbanisme

A wooden cabin with sauna and bedroom on the island of Trossö, Sweden. Two large windows frame the windswept and poetic landscape: the ocean on one side, pines on the other, with a large sliding door effectively doubling the living area when open. The  cabin contains a sauna and a 2 person bedroom/ living room. The cabin was designed for a couple who spend their summers on the remote island of Trossö, off the west coast of Sweden. Practical chores such as cooking and washing are done close by the house in an outdoor kitchen. The Ermitage cottage is situated in a clearing just 50 meters from the the North Sea and the brief of the client was for “a room with a view of the sea,” that gives “the feeling of being immersed in the landscape, and to perceive the force of nature yet to be concealed by the trees. The clients also asked that the building “make minimal impact on the surrounding nature so no trees should be cut down.” The cabin is raised off the ground so it sits lightly on the plot and all of the materials used were transported to the site by boat as there are no roads on the island. The pitched roof reference the vernacular architecture of local fishing huts and also give a generous internal volume. External walls are made from Swedish spruce that has been painted black. The floorboards are also spruce, while the internal walls and ceiling are clad in plywood. A large sliding door leads from a small deck into the bedroom. With the door open, the deck effectively doubles the usable floor space. In the bedroom, a mattress is placed at the back of a wooden platform that also acts as a surface for seating. Long drawers on castors roll out from underneath the platform to provide storage. The sauna is entered through a door at the side of the cabin and contains benches and a window looking out onto the forest.  The cabin was designed for a couple wanting to spend their summers close to nature. They wanted a minimal living space that contains only the essential.