A Central Fireplace Anchors This Uber-Cozy Cabin in a Swedish Forest

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Project Details:

Location: Tänndalen, Sweden

Architect: Tina Bergman / @tinabergmanarchitect

Footprint: 1,020 square feet

Photographer: Jim Stephenson / @clickclickjim

From the Architect: "Dubbed The Hat House for its resemblance to a home in a Swedish fairytale about three children living in a hat, this small cabin lies hidden in a birch forest in the Swedish mountains. It sits just below the tree line with a meadow underfoot.

"The cabin is built in an area where buildings must be small. With a footprint of just 100 square meters, the cabin’s form mirrors the program and the gentle slope of the site. Its shape prioritizes warmth and comfort, with a fireplace and chimney at its center. With its steep gable roof and extended eaves, the cabin looks as if it’s pulling its hat down over its ears.

"The small cabin is designed to be resilient. Its floor of spruce will be scraped by ski boots and by dog paws, and its pine heart cladding will take a beating from heavy snow. The color of the finishes match year-round seasons: the faint blue light of midwinter, the bursting green of new summer, the misty yellows of the autumn mountains.

"The Hat House is entirely made of timber; the load-bearing structure is a combination of glulam and softwood. External walls, the roof, and gutters are clad with locally sourced heart pine impregnated with Kebony, a plant-derived waste product which modifies the wood cells and gives the pine hardwood characteristics. Internally, the walls and ceiling are lined with boards of spruce painted with white-tinted oil to prevent the wood from going dark. The floors are made of end grain spruce blocks."