Scandinavian style house built in Suffolk England

If you were told about a house in Suffolk, England, on the edge of a farm in the countryside, you'd probably imagine an old brick building, possibly thatched, sober and dark. But the reality may surprise you and you may discover a house in pure Scandinavian style - straight, simple lines, light airy spaces, glazed walls. Pavilion House, designed by architecture studio Norm Architects in Copenhagen is as simple as it is spectacular. The project, completed as early as 2017, was to renovate buildings and outbuildings on the farm, but was abandoned for a while. The farm was sold and the new owners decided to resume the project, fascinated by the connection with nature it created.

Transparency and integration of nature

The name of the house comes from its shape. It is a long, straight, parallelepipedic pavilion with a terrace-style roof. The large, full-length windows make it almost transparent. Where there is no glass, larch wood clad the wall. The window frames, wooden on the inside and metal on the outside, are anthracite grey, as are the metal roof and the basalt terrace. Because of the large glazed area and the impersonal, unobtrusive grey, you get the feeling that there is nothing but wood and the surrounding landscape. There are areas where the eye wanders through the house to admire the trees on the opposite side. The pavilion gives the feeling of total harmony with nature that it visually integrates into its space.

Inside we find the same simple, discreet lines, minimal and minimalist furniture. The rooms open out onto the terrace, and the two bright, wide relaxation spaces created around the wood-burning fireplaces each have an unobstructed view of one of the surrounding landscapes. The open, simple and minimalist kitchen is in pure Scandinavian style. Lots of white, wood in its natural colour, discreet tones of blue and grey.

At the end of the pavilion house, an annex has been converted to become a secluded space for study, recreation or relaxation. The cadence of large windows is followed here too, creating a sense of continuity, of connection with the main house. In fact, viewed from a certain angle, the house looks like an L-shaped pavilion. Here, too, the exterior cladding is made of larch wood. The sauna, built at one end of the small studio, offers a wonderful view of the landscape.

A quiet, energy efficient and environmentally friendly space

The new owners have discovered here a wonderful place to live together with nature, and the architectural structure has been designed not to obstruct the view. They have also created an ensemble of energy-efficient buildings and environmentally friendly. In addition to the two main buildings, there was a 5000 m² barn nearby. Because they didn't want to use it for agricultural purposes, they thought of reusing it. They cut it in half by knocking down part of it, and what was left was used to support the photovoltaic panels that generate the electricity needed to run the whole complex.

Also in the barn there is a rainwater collection system, with which the surrounding land is irrigated. The barn also doubles as a gym and entertainment area, with a tennis table and a small basketball court inside. Reconfiguring the barn has also improved the view from the small studio.

Pavilion House is about transparency, minimalism and nature. It is the embodiment of a discreet architectural vision that modestly aims to integrate nature into its own creation. An example of how less can mean more and better. A proof of the elegance of simplicity.

Source: archilovers