A contemporary lakeside cottage | Petra Gipp Arkitektur

This small dwelling was designed by architect Petra Gipp for herself. It sits at the edge of a rocky bluff overlooking Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second largest lake. Visitors arriving at the cottage get a sneak glimpse of the lake through the glass entry door.

The 116 m² (1,249 ft²) floor plan is essentially on one level, but does adjust by a few steps to follow the contours of the rock. The three bedrooms were kept small, allowing more space to be given to the open plan living area. A concrete wall/chimney cuts through the house, separating the bedroom side from the public spaces. It incorporates two fireplaces, one in the living room and one outside on the deck. The unfinished concrete wall, still showing marks from the plywood formwork, is a prominent design element that gives the cottage a real feeling of solidity.

Window walls give an unimpeded view of the lake. However the steeply sloped ground is hard to see, giving the impression that the house is suspended over the edge of the precipice. The concrete wall serves as a reminder that the house is still firmly attached to the rock. The floors are also concrete, but the other walls and ceiling are finished with white painted boards to keep the concrete from overwhelming the space.

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Photographs by Åke E:son Lindman, courtesy of Petra Gipp arkitektur AB. Via gBlog.

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