NOMA HOUSE
CLIENT
PRIVATE RESIDENT
LOCATION
ÅRE, SWEDEN
ROLE
LEAD ARCHITECT
BUDGET
$1.4 MILLION
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Noma House is a Scandinavian-influenced timber residence set among tall pines, designed around simplicity, warmth, and a close relationship with the surrounding forest. The architecture favors quiet craftsmanship over expressive form.
Every material was chosen for its tactile and acoustic qualities as much as its appearance, giving the house a soft, enveloping character that responds directly to its wooded setting.
DESIGN APPROACH
A sunken living area with a built-in wood-burning stove forms the emotional center of the house, gathering the main living spaces around a single lowered floor level. Guests descend a few steps to enter it, marking a clear shift in atmosphere.
The stove's chimney rises through a full-height timber-lined light well, pulling daylight down into the sunken space even in the depths of winter.
MATERIAL & LIGHT
Interiors rely almost entirely on pale ash timber, wool textiles, and matte black steel detailing, kept consistent across every room to create a calm, unified backdrop. Nothing competes visually with the forest views beyond the glazing.
Large roof overhangs and a north-facing orientation keep light soft and even throughout the day, avoiding the harsh contrast that direct sun would bring into such a materially quiet interior.
SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
The plan is organized as a single-story sequence radiating from the sunken living core, with sleeping quarters set slightly apart for quiet and a separate sauna wing connected by a covered timber walkway.
This spread-out arrangement encourages movement between indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the day, treating the short walk between wings as part of the everyday rhythm of the house rather than an inconvenience.
SITE & CONTEXT
Positioned in a clearing among mature pines, the house was designed to disturb as few trees as possible, with the building's irregular outline following gaps in the existing canopy rather than a predetermined footprint.
This close negotiation with the forest gives every room a distinct, framed relationship with specific trees just outside its windows, rather than a generic wooded backdrop.
ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
Low, long rooflines and dark-stained timber cladding let the house recede visually into the surrounding forest rather than standing out against it. Massing is kept intentionally horizontal to echo the low winter sun.
The only vertical accent is the timber-clad chimney volume above the sunken living space, marking the heart of the house from the exterior as clearly as it does from within.
INDOOR & OUTDOOR
Sliding glazed walls along the living space open the interior directly onto a wraparound timber deck, extending daily life outdoors for much of the year despite the northern climate.
The sauna wing continues this connection at a more intimate scale, opening onto a private plunge pool tucked among the trees, reinforcing the house's overall rhythm of moving between warmth and open air.
COURTYARD CONCEPT
The sunken hearth remains the house's clearest organizing idea, visible from the kitchen, the entry, and even the elevated reading nook above it, ensuring the sense of gathering never feels far away.
Its slightly lowered position also gives the otherwise modest single-story house an unexpected sense of volume and event at its very center.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE
Heavy insulation and a compact, well-sealed envelope allow the wood stove to serve as a meaningful supplementary heat source through the coldest months, reducing overall energy demand.
Timber was sourced from responsibly managed regional forests, and the light well above the hearth reduces daytime electric lighting needs across the main living areas for most of the year.
DESIGN OUTCOME
Noma House demonstrates how restraint, natural material, and a single gathering point can create a deep sense of comfort without relying on scale or spectacle.
It is a quiet counterpoint to more dramatic architectural statements, proving that warmth and craftsmanship can carry a home's identity just as strongly as bold form.