Cabin on Vardehaugen | Fantastic Norway
This family cabin is nestled at the top of Vardehaugen, a large rock outcrop overlooking a fjord in central Norway. The cabin has an angular jagged form that nicely complements its rugged setting. Its location 35 m above sea level gives it panoramic views of the surrounding landscape but also exposes it to the harsh coastal weather.
Architecture studio Fantastic Norway gave the cabin long, narrow floor plan and then bent it into a rough horseshoe shape. The architects compare it to a fox curled up for protection from the wind, an appropriate analogy as the resulting courtyard provides the residents with a sheltered outdoor space. The roof folds down and drops to ground level to help deflect the wind and protect the more exposed building faces. The black roof and wall sections are covered with treated pine boards applied vertically. At the entrances to the cabin, the rough black protective shell is cut away to reveal an “inner” wall of white painted horizontal siding.
The 77 m2 (829 ft2) cabin has three bedrooms, one of which is in a separate sleeping cabin immediately adjacent to the main cabin. The bedroom wing is tucked against a ridge of rock at the back of the property, while at the other end the living room stretches out toward the fjord, offering water views in three directions. The kitchen, dining room and living room are open to each other, but the curve of the cabin’s floor plan restricts views through the space, offering a nice compromise between being completely open and having separate rooms. The irregular shape creates cozy nooks and crannies within the larger space.
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Photographs courtesy of Fantastic Norway. Via Architizer.
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