Home tour | Neutral tones & natural materials in southern Sweden

Today I’m taking you to Skåne in southern Sweden for a peek at a contemporary house that puts a warm, textural spin on Scandinavian minimalism.

Set in the small seaside village of Höllviken, this new-build stone villa (first featured in Elle Decoration) was designed by architect Hanne Birk for owners Sofia and Johan Wäborg, who decided to relocate to the countryside from nearby Malmö after the birth of their children. The aim was to create a house that looks and feels as if it has always existed, with elements of the surrounding landscape incorporated into the architecture and interiors.

The design therefore draws heavily on the sandy colours and natural textures of the coastal location, offsetting crisp white walls with grey terrazzo floors and grained Douglas fir from Danish company Dinesen. The same goes for the furniture and accessories, which mix pale wood, rich brown leather, snuggly sheepskin, woven rattan and raw linen. And in almost every room are swathes of glass that flood the interiors with light and blur the boundaries between inside and out.

The focus of the house is the open-plan living space, which has sleek white kitchen units topped by polished concrete counters, plus a stunning contemporary fireplace. There are also lots of iconic design pieces, including Carl Hansen’s CH24 ‘Wishbone’ chairs around the dining table, statement pendant lights by Louis Poulsen and Herman Miller, and a pair of ‘Butterfly’ chairs draped in soft woolen blankets.

In the master bedroom, a bank of clever built-in cupboards crafted from Dinesen wood hides clutter, maintaining an air of serene minimalism. The same wood has also been used to create additional storage in the hallway and under the stairs, as well as beneath the basins in the terrazzo-clad bathroom.

My favourite corner, though, is the window seat, which makes the most of an otherwise-unused corridor. It’s the perfect spot to curl up with a steaming mug of coffee and gaze out over the garden, and a great addition to a house which – although only just built – is already firmly rooted in the beautiful Skåne landscape.

Photography by Petra Bindel for Elle Decoration

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