Located on the unspoiled and rocky coast of Sweden, this Archipelago summer house is a modernized holiday home embracing all aspects of family life.

Introduction
Harmoniously embodying chaos and order, nature is a constant inspiration to human kind and will survive long after our extinction. Therefore nature should always be considered a guideline rather than a simple component. The wooden structure is harmoniously merged with the surrounding nature and draws inspiration from the local building traditions found in boathouses on the rocky shores. Set into the cliff, the house consists of four wooden volumes interlocked and connected by a terraced wooden deck that follows the sloping plot.

The fact that human and nature are inseparable makes it all the more vital to have nature be part of our indoor environments – living surfaces, soft and calming nuances that makes us feel at ease. The interior of the Archipelago house follows the sloping terrain and the different spaces in the house are connected by internal steps and stairs that connect the 5 different levels of the house.

The color and material-scheme of the interior is kept in natural, muted high-end materials that reflect the nature outside. There is not only a direct connection and transparency between inside and outside in this house, but also a more symbolic connection in terms of material and color use.

“In the design process, it was a clear goal for us, that the details in the product itself should speak directly into the surrounding architecture and interior, while also telling the story of each of the companies being involved in the production, August Sangren, with their roots in the art of bookbinding and Karimoku with proud history of being the leading wooden furniture manufacturer in Japan.” Norm Architects

The house is a plethora of natural materials, muted colors, clean lines, and minimal, yet well-curated, furnishings. The interior is made from beautiful craftsmanship with a focus on quality and handmade pieces.

All storage and functional elements of the kitchen are built into the wall facing the rock and creates a wooden internal facade that stretches in the full length of the space to maximize storage and reduce clutter.

The main living space of the house is a double-high room divided in the middle by a large industrial kitchen island. On one side is a lounge area with a stunning framed view of the rocky hill with all its cracks and colorful organic mosses. On the other side a dining area faces the outdoor terrace and can be completely connected through folding doors that slide to one side.

The design of the house is focused on a blending functionality for the perfect family life with an architecture of clean lines, bright spaces and light colors as the perfect sanctuary when you want to get away from the hectic life of the city. With inspiration found in both Nordic building traditions and a Japanese sensibility in aesthetics and craftsmanship, this project has aimed to achieve the best of both worlds.

A combination of Scandinavian coziness with warm textures and soft furniture while maintaining the elegance of Japanese decor. While both styles have a focus on the utilitarian, it has been important to maintain a zen-like sense of calm in this house where the emphasis is on the life being led and the nature surrounding it.

Materials sourced from nature have always been essential to human beings. They hold various properties and potential, and can carry out a wide diversity of textures. Wood can be treated to achieve a smooth feel and look or a more rustic elegance.

The bathrooms are designed in grey stone and become almost cave-like. They reflect the rocky surroundings and give the family a feel of luxury spa in a tiny format. The large wooden terraced deck is forming a protected outdoor space for dining, playing and enjoying the magnificent view of the water and small rocky islands in the horizon.

The shape of the pendant mimics the architecture of the summerhouse, that with its high and triangular shaped roof construction, needs light being spread not only down, but also up and to the sides. The bottom of the lamp has been covered with a single piece of Washi paper, which is cleverly held in place by a few magnets, making it easy to disassemble it, should you need to change the bulb.

The lighting collection has been designed bespokely for the Archipelago House. The two lamps have been designed to tell the story of the manufacturing collaboration between Karimoku and Kojima Shouten. Karimoku being the leading wooden furniture manufacturer in Japan and Kojima Shouten being a 220 year old Kyoto based lantermaker.

“At Kojima Shouten, we always seek new possibilities for our handmade lanterns, without losing our traditional manufacturing methods. We create new styles and purposes for our products, still upholding our tradition. In this collaboration with Karimoku Case Study and Norm Architects, we have created lamps with a more modern and architectural expression, to be used as interior lighting.”

The lamp, with its wooden base and Washi paper lampshade, almost becomes a hybrid between a piece of furniture and a lamp. A sculptural yet very functional lamp, shining a natural warm light, non-directional light to the surrounding space. The washi paper lampshade, naturally flatpacks due to its construction, something that we wished to translate into the wooden base as well. The four legged base is therefore, so it can be divided into two sections and takes up minimal space in transportation.

Designed to have a small footprint, but with great comfort. The rounded back not only adds a warm and welcoming look and feel to the chair, it also allows the user to freely move in it, while the small overhang of the back and armrest, makes the chair itself easy to move around. The new Club Chair “N-CC01” is produced by Karimoku as part of the Karimoku Case Study Collection. The chair will be available for purchase spring 2021.

The inside of the backrest is fully upholstered and folds up on top of the chair to become the armrest, while the backside is kept all in wood for a more crisp, architectural and crafted expression. All elements have been intentionally distanced from each other to create a very honest and lightweight chair - a chair that doesn’t take up too much space, but remains functional and beautiful.

Norm Book Box “N-BB01” is a collection of storage objects, designed by Norm Architects and collaboratively produced by Danish August Sandgren and Japanese Karimoku Case Study. The storage boxes are designed to accommo - date the everyday-life chaos, providing a home to the small essential belong - ings and raise the question of why storage often resides out of sight.

“Quality to us is the most important heritage we have. August himself always had quality as the driver of his work and he would therefore pay attention to every little detail of his work. Noth - ing left his workshop unless perfect in craft and material. We have adopted this philosophy and we aspire to deliver on it with every object that leaves our workshop. All our objects are made in Europe by hand. To us quality lies in the old virtues of good craftsmanship.”

Material Used :
Bespoke furniture and designs:
1. Club Chair “N-CC01” By Norm Architects
2. Norm Book Box “N-BB01” by Norm Architects
3. Pendant Light - By Norm Architects
4. Floor and Table Lamp - By Norm Architects

Other furnitures used in this case:
1. Side Chair “N-SC01” By Norm Architects
2. Shelving System “N-SS01” By Norm Architects
3. Side Table “N-ST01” By Norm Architects
4. Dining Table “N-DT01” By Norm Architects
5. Dining Chair “N-DC01” By Norm Architects
6. Coffee Table “N–CT01” By Norm Architects
7. Sofa “A-S01” By Keiji Ashizawa Design