After a decade spent working on commercial designs for her architecture firm, Studio He, founder Xiao He decided to shift the firm’s intentions in a different direction. Deciding to embrace her views on design, – that they should always respect the surrounding nature – Studio He limited itself strictly to private projects that would lend themselves to a more collaborative way of working. The latest project by the the Stockholm-based studio was for Xiao herself along with her husband, who wanted to build in a woodland plot on the outskirts of Stockholm. Inspired by the Case Study houses of the mid-century era, He wanted to embrace the simple, utilitarian methods to produce a home that existed alongside its natural surroundings, rather than imposing itself upon the landscape. A decision was made to build entirely from wood, and so the single level home rises from the ground on wooden stilts, a sprawling wooden deck supporting the structure constructed from vertical and horizontal beams.

A raised path leads to the home, cutting though the space left by removed birch trees, which tower above the plot in most areas. Wood from the land was repurposed for interior elements, including a coffee table made from salvaged timber, further tying the home to the fruits of the land and its environment.

Photography © Jesper Florbrant