Four for the Price of One
The Norwegians' love for the great outdoors is matched by their fondness for the great rustic cabin. This remarkable example near the imposing Trolltind ridge of Norway is a rather unusual showcase of cabin style.
Designed by Norwegian architects Rever & Drage, this quirky house looks like four different cabins stitched together. At first sight this appears to be a light-hearted pastiche of cabin style, but closer inspection reveals a thoughtful tribute to the heritage of cabin construction and a clever way to define the different uses of space.
At the southern end of the long building is the garage, constructed with an open timber frame and transparent polycarbonate sheets. This gives the space an extraordinarily bright and airy feel, perfect for use as a conservatory in the winter or as a semi-outdoor space in the summer. This leads on to a large volume which houses the kitchen, storage areas as well as the main bedroom and bathroom. This cabin is constructed using relatively slim, square logs connected with dovetail notches which, together with the dark stained wood exterior and random, slit-like windows, create an elegant, contemporary ambience. Next up is the main living space with its shiny tiled roof, gabled entrance and massive picture window offering stunning views of the peaks in the distance. A barrel-vaulted ceiling and fireplace inside add warmth and intimacy. This, and the end cabin, which can be used as a study or bedroom, are both constructed using traditional Scandinavian saddle-notched logs. The end cabin, however, uses thicker logs and has a distinctive green roof, which oozes rustic charm.
This wonderfully evocative and mildly eccentric house not only suits all seasons and tastes but is also the perfect showcase of the different ways to build a perfect cabin.
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Product Inspiration
Go rustic with heavy doses of timber, natural materials and comforting shapes. Try the Zumitz low table from Alki, Triangle chair from Stellar Works and the Lake rug from Golran.
Natural materials such as cardboard, such as in the Scraplight Hive suspension light from Graypangts, and wood veneers, such as in the Nut suspension light from LZF, work wonderfully well for lights. The Bowl table light from New Works would also look great in a cabin.
A fun and easy way to recreate the cabin look is to use the remarkable Scrapwood series of wallpaper designed by Piet Hein Eek for NLXL. The photo-realistic images on each roll have no repeats, which makes it a cinch to create a convincing faux wood panelling effect.
