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Braving the Elements: Norwegian Home with an Awesome View of Sandefjord

Designing a home that offers stunning views of natural landscape is harder that it often appears. Picture-perfect natural scenery comes with a price – the need to brave the elements that are tougher on the structure than in big cities. Designed by Knut Hjeltnes, the Single Family House Hoffstad in Vesterøya offers gorgeous views of Sandefjord even while ensuring that it keeps the harsh weather firmly outside. The lot that the house sits on was abandoned for better part of two decades because of the inhospitable conditions. Solution came in the form of a house with a stoic lower level built using concrete and an upper level crafted using wood.

Round protected window cutouts give the home a unique look

The upper level that was built as a monolithic wooden unit was draped in fiber cement to provide extra stability. The 250 square meter home with its two different volumes also has a private courtyard that can be used during warmer summer months. It is also the void between the two units that provides a sheltered entrance to the house. Another striking feature of the home is its round, protected windows that give it a sense of uniqueness and style. It also ushers in a hint of Asian-inspired style while easily embracing Scandinavian simplicity.

RELATED: Revamped Norwegian Cabin Mesmerizes with Fjord and Mountain Views

Gorgeous and sheltered entrance to the house
Gray, wood and white in the bathroom
Natural opening in the ceiling brings ample light into the kitchen
Picture-perfect dining room with round window overlong the distant fjords
Space between the upper and lower level creates a dashing outdoor deck

Wood also gives the interior a warm, cozy appeal. Pops of blue and gray in the home further add brightness to the interior even as a flood of natural light illuminates every corner. Smart, eco-savvy and sturdy, this is a home that perfectly blends aesthetics and ergonomics. [Photography: Inger Marie Grini]

RELATED: Cabin Straumsnes: A Window into the Magical World of Norwegian Fjords

Upper level in cement, wood and glass
View-outside-offers-a-panoramic-picture-of-the-fjords-on-both-sides-of-Vesterøya
View outside offers a panoramic picture of the fjords on both sides of Vesterøya
Wood draped in fiber cement provides the perfect all-weather exterior for the home
Wood gives the interior of the Norwegian home a warm, relaxing look
Custom round window in the bedroom gives the home a unique look

Sherry Nothingam

Sherry is a blogger who loves to live her life to the fullest. She enjoys everything associated with design, décor and stylish modern trends. Born in California, Sherry has grown up on open ranches and in a wild setting, which has defined her taste for design and developed her interest in examining how structures and homes interact with the beauti[...]

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