This country retreat on the Stockholm archipelago is a modern twist on the traditional Scandinavian summer house

The main entrance is approached by stepping onto a large slab of rough-hewn, locally sourced limestone, echoing design language used throughout the project.

Kristofer Johnsson

The finished home reflects the way Vince and Ebba work together. ‘Ebba often designs from the inside out, while I design from the outside in, and somewhere in the middle, those perspectives meet,’ Vince says. They went to incredible lengths to ensure that the architecture and decor work in harmony: the cedar planks that line sections of the interior walls were left outside for a whole year so they would weather like the exterior cladding, which is made from the same wood. ‘Material selection was driven almost entirely by longevity - we often talk about designing houses that will still feel relevant in 20, 30 or even 50 years’ time,’ says Ebba. ‘Much of the home’s calm comes from simplicity and a limited palette, but simplicity is rarely simple to achieve.’

Every interior finish was chosen to improve with age, from the Dinesen oak flooring to surfaces in travertine, locally sourced limestone, Perla Venata marble, and textured Belgian stucco (which lends a luminous softness to walls and ceilings). ‘Bronze handles are already beginning to develop a natural patina, and raw stone records everyday life beautifully,’ adds Ebba. ‘Even though people are often afraid of marks or stains, we think they’re exactly what makes a home a home – a little memory from your child dropping something, perhaps, or a wine stain from an evening with friends.’

As a counterpoint to the home’s straight lines, the designers installed a curved custom staircase with travertine treads and a Belgian stucco balustrade. The ceramic wall lights are by Kolkhoze.

Kristofer Johnsson

Avoiding chemical treatments on finishes heightens their potential for developing character, while the tones of the materials themselves form a natural colour palette. One of the thorniest challenges was generating warmth in the house’s generous footprint: Ebba and Vince achieved this by encouraging gentle transitions between rooms, and introducing sensual details such travertine flooring, which was laid in a pattern inspired by ripples of sand beneath shallow water on a nearby beach. The main bedroom, meanwhile, cantilevers out over the water, ‘making the landscape feel almost within reach’ – one of several vistas that invite nature indoors as ‘an ever-changing artwork’.

Bespoke furniture emphasizes the design’s uniqueness. Ebba and Vince custom-created the walnut shelving and double-sided fireplace in the living and dining area – the fireplace, whose proportions are based on the golden ratio, was built entirely on site, and complemented by a pair of coffee tables in rough-hewn granite. These pieces meet their match in vintage finds (such as the pair of Brazilian canework swivel armchairs by the fire) and organic textiles (including Flexform sofas covered in grey-green linen and woven lighting by Ay Illuminate). One of the few deliberate contrasts is the custom staircase, whose curves are a counterpoint to otherwise clean lines.

Kristofer Johnsson

Indoor and outdoor life flow seamlessly here, where an open-air kitchen, pergola, and separate poolhouse and sauna allow family and friends to congregate freely. These outbuildings are constructed from cedar and concrete, and are intended to age just like the rest of the house. Ebba and Vince asked landscape designer Ulrika Sommar to oversee the garden planting. ‘The idea was to soften the strong architectural lines and help the house settle naturally into its rocky surroundings,’ says Ebba. ‘Now, the owners talk less about individual rooms and more about how the house makes them feel. Despite being newly built, it already feels as though it has been here for years, and it makes us very happy to hear this.’

foxandvince.com; ulrikasommar.com