Scrolling

The Full Tour of Our Tiny Cabin in Sweden!

As the year is slowly coming to a close, I've been looking back at the last twelve months and some of my projects. The one I am most proud of and that gives my family and I an unbelievable amount of joy is our tiny cabin. I absolutely love it. It may only be 30m2 (322 f2), but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in soul! It's hard to imagine that this time last year it was a patch of grass! Here's the complete low down. 

Design

We had a clear vision of how we wanted the cabin to look both inside and out. We turned to talented local architect Anela Tahirovic to help us realise this. Anela was such a joy to work with and sketched a design which perfectly matched our minds eye! 

Inside, we wanted a space where we could be together as a family. We realised that having a separate master bedroom would eat into the main living space, so instead we decided to create an open-plan space with a lower bedroom and upper sleep loft. We also wanted a well-functioning kitchen and bathroom so that it would work as an independent living space. 


The tour!

The exterior of the cabin is clad in different widths of pine which have been treated with 'järnvitriol' (iron sulphate) to give the wood a long-lasting grey-brown weathered appearance. 

The glass doors and windows are from Danish brand Velfac. All the glass doors open up to create a seamlessness between the indoors and outdoors in summertime. In winter it's the perfect space for a little 'light therapy'! 

While we love having so much glass, the downside is that it can heat up incredibly quickly come on a hot summers day. To counter this we had to install a heater / air conditioner (from Electrolux). This wasn't in the original plan, but it's actually turned out to be great as we can maintain 10 degrees Celsius heat in winter to stop the pipes from freezing - and quickly cool the space down on very hot days (few and far between but necessary, especially in the upper sleep loft!). 

We also added bespoke blinds to reflect the sun and heat - and also of course, to block out the light at night. 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen... our Veddinge kitchen cabinets are from IKEA and we added bespoke wooden oak shelves, made from panels bought in a local hardware store. We had the cabinets spray painted in Blek Sand (NCS S2005-Y20R) by Swiss Metod prior to installation. The worktop is a simple laminate one from Hornbach. We installed Helix knobs in antique brass from Beslag Online and a tap from Cristina Rubinetterie.

The kitchen also contains a fridge, small freezer, sink, recycling unit and a portable plug-in stove (all from IKEA). See the complete design plans, more pictures and all the details here.  

The wooden slats and ladder were handmade by a local carpenter. The ladder is detachable and moveable so it can be used for accessing the sleep loft but also to reach items higher up in the kitchen. 

The wood floor and panelling are both from Norrlands Trä (read more about our selection here). 

The extendable table is by Skovby (see it extended here) and the chairs are from Carl Hansen & Søn (these were only on loan for a photoshoot sadly, aren't they lovely?!) but I can also recommend Skovby chairs and stackable Vega chairs for a table like this. 

One of the most essential features for us right form the start was a woodburning stove. We got ours from Swedish brand Contura (see more pictures and details here). There's nothing quite like waking up to a roaring fire on a cold winters day! It gives off an immense amount of heat so we haven't had to turn on the electric heating once this winter (bar the 10 degrees)! 

In the tiny sitting room area we have a Plico Chair (possibly my most treasured item of furniture, I love it!). 

We also went for a Folk sofa bed by Karup. It's ideal for extra guests, but also a cosy place to sleep by the fire come winter! 

We've had the rug for years, it's called 'Beni' from Barfuss Teppiche.

Our bed nook is just over 160 cm wide which provides a snug space for a double bed. We decided to have a built in bed with long drawers on wheels underneath for storage. Today we keep everything from our clothes and bed linen to towels, table cloths and games in the drawers. They are a godsend!  

The mistake we made was using a platform rather than slats. Mattresses need to be able to breathe, otherwise they can get damp and mouldy underneath. We try to air the mattress as much as possible to counter this, but at some point we'll need to drill holes in the platform. 

The sleep loft (which I've realised I've yet to photograph) has space for either three single mattresses or one double. The cabin is 4 metres high, which means there is still quite a lot of head room up there. The girls find it very cosy! 

The bathroom is kitted out with a sink, cabinet, mirror and loo from GSI ceramica and taps from Cristina Rubinetterie. The Tumbled Turtle floor tiles are from Stiltje (one of the areas we splurged). The walls were painted in Kalk by Jotun lady Aqua. 

We weren't sure whether to get a wall hung loo and taps or not as I was worried it would eat into the small space. But actually, wall hung was perfect as it create a natural shelf for all our bits and bobs! 


You can see the complete tour and get the full low down of our bathroom here

The hooks in the bathroom (from Norrgavel) serve as both bathroom storage and somewhere to hang our coats. The little stool is either used as a perch to take of your shoes on entering or drying off and moisturising after a shower (pick up a similar little wooden stool here*). 

Finally, the main entrance to the cabin is through the bathroom. We thought we had made a major mistake with this - and we certainly got some strange looks when we told other people about our plan. However, it turned out to be exactly the right decision. Not only do the hooks double up for towels and coats - but the tiled floor is ideal for wet / dirty shoes! Once inside, all the other doors open up so it can be exited and entered through those - it's just when you arrive! 

I hope you enjoyed the tour and seeing a little more of our cabin!

I think I've covered most things, but if you have any questions please do give me a shout below and I'll do my best to help! 

I'm so looking forward to spending a few days up at our little cabin this Christmas! 

Niki 

PS The next project is the garden (it was a complete mess after the build! Gaaaah!). Do you have any tips for me? It's a total blank canvas right now so a little overwhelming! Even so, it's fun to have something to focus on in 2023. 

LATEST COMMENTS:

  1. from the french woman : perhapsjust put a slim bed slatted base under your mattress and over the plank, may be sufficient for aeration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Merci! / Niki

      Delete
  2. Hi Niki, lovely cabin! Garden to match in style would be a logical path: minimal, relaxed, practical/low maintenance ... I always recommend people staring at their empty plot to consider a few things: privacy, convenience and "borrowed landscape". In a nutshell, it's about the views you would like to have looking from inside the cabin, and also when looking at your cabin from various spots on approach. "Frame" it, you'll see what's missing from a good, relaxed composition. I' m a passionate naturalist gardener, so my tip for planting is - go with what grows well around your cabin, research, to give back to nature, (re)create a landscape in harmony with the area - grasses, field flowers, a few solitary trees, a few boulders with moss, easy paths, a bench somewhere to enjoy a different view on the house, etc. Of course, these are just general things, without any details on your plot it's hard to be specific. :) From the Netherlands with love, Olga.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow Olga, thank you SO much. This is incredibly helpful. I'll definitely bear all these pointers in mind when I get started. / Niki

      Delete
  3. Absolutely stunning! So well thought through and designed. Compact but you are not living there full time and, at the same time, doesn't seem to lack anything essential. Well done! Hope it's a source of many happy memories for years and years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  4. There's a new material, not quite sure what it's called, it's gotten real popular with vanlifers. It goes under the mattress to stop mold. I will try to find out what it's called. I subscribe to an awesome van builder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds very interesting. If you do find the name, let me know! I'll see if I can search around too. Might be just the ticket! / Niki

      Delete
  5. It's simple yet stunning. The colour palette is divine. All thumbs up, Niki!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Alena :) / Niki

      Delete
  6. Oh, it's so wonderful! I love well-thought small spaces, and this is definitely very well planned. It's got the perfect amount of light with a few touches to warm it up. Well done!

    Did you ever come up with a plan for cooking food in your cabin? I remember you asking for ideas and wondered what you decided upon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kris! Yes we did. We bought a plug in induction stove from IKEA which we keep in the drawer and just pull out when we need to cook. It's really handy, in the summertime we can cook outside with it too! / Niki

      Delete
  7. It's pretty darn perfect Niki, and I'm sure it will just get better over the years. We also enter our holiday home (called a 'bach') through a wet room where rain coats can be hung up and muddy boots removed. No-one gets stressed about the puddles or mud on the floor. It leads through to the loo and bathroom in one direction, and the rest of the bach in the other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so kind Mattie, thank you! Interesting that you also enter your 'Bach' (first time I've heard that word, I love it!) through a wet room, it definitely makes sense! /Niki

      Delete
  8. This cabin is beautiful. For the garden anything Piet Oufolf style would be perfect, in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a great tip, I've been looking into this since reading your comment, and this style is so natural and inspiring! Thank you :) /Niki

      Delete

Post a Comment

Privacy Notice: We do not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.

Subscribe To My Scandinavian Home

Subscribe to My Scandinavian Home

skovby ad


 

site by ANAAR

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
MORE INFO