This lakeside woodland house outside Gothenburg features a lofty gabled kitchen that Swedish firm Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture compares with the form of a church (+ slideshow).
Located south of the city on the banks of Gravsjön lake, the three-storey Villa Bondö was designed by Kjellgren Kaminsky as a simple rectilinear form, embellished by a projecting gable with an entirely glazed frontage.
Inside this volume, a double-height space creates a generous kitchen and dining area for the resident family, which opens out to a balcony offering views over the water.
"The main feature of the building is 'the church' – a gable-roofed extruded space facing the lake," said a statement from the studio, whose past projects include a woodland hotel and a dance hall.
"Before entering the house you can glimpse the lake through the glassed entrance window and sense the church in the contours of the building," said the team.
Wall finishes, flooring and furniture in this space are mostly kept clean and white so as not to detract from the view, but some colourful features have been introduced – a tree with orange flowers, and a geometric cabinet inspired by 8-bit graphics.
"When inside, you experience the breathtaking view as the building is opening up," added the architects.
The exterior of the house is clad with vertical lengths of timber. This surface will weather over time, allowing the building to fit in with the surrounding birch and pine trees.
The base of the structure is set into the hillside, allowing entrances on both the lower and middle floor. The bottom storey accommodates three bedrooms – one master suite and two identical children's rooms – while a fourth can be found on the level above.
The uppermost level contains just one room, a family dining space that can be used for entertaining friends.
Full-height glazing allows this space to open out to a roof terrace that also boasts views of the lake.
Photography is by Mikael Olsson.
Project credits:
Client: Sköld family
Architect: Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture
Team: Fredrik Kjellgren, Joakim Kaminsky, Sanna Johnels
