Great things in small packages

This home, designed by architect Gert Wingårdh in Sweden, is a departure from my usual aesthetic but it is so beautifully crafted I thought it important to share with you. The Mill House as it is known is modest in footprint. The gabled roof and chimney resemble that archetypal house outline a child would draw but that is where similarities end. The interior of this project is finely crafted and detailed. Surfaces have been treated like quality furniture – expressing the junctions of materials. The dovetailed joins on the staircase and kitchen bench tops is a stunning detail. The palette of materials is retrained, as is decoration. Quality of material and craftsmanship is king here. The upper floor is cantilevered over the living room and kitchen leaving an aperture at the wall. That gap is enough to allow morning sunlight to bounce off the ceiling into the spaces below. The setting and landscaping is another hero element. A stream runs along one side of the project and there is a reflecting pool on the adjacent side. The walls on those sides are entirely glass letting you enjoy the water from inside the home.

There is a harmony created by the joining of these two distinct styles – Japanese and Scandinavian. Perhaps the mutual respect for materiality, craftsmanship, integrity and stability form part of this stunning partnership.