Claesson Koivisto Rune’s sculptural home is meant to be enjoyed both from outside and from within.
To encourage its residents to get out and socialize as much as possible, CKR designed Widlund House to take full advantage of the surrounding terrain. Located on the coast of the narrow Baltic island of Öland, the home features not only the requisite large deck from which to take in vistas of the setting sun, but also many openings for transitioning from the many bright interiors out to the great surroundings.
The entire home is conceived as a rectangular box cinched in around the waist. This “corseting” forms two uneven trapezoids; in the smaller are four bedrooms and additional living space spread over two floors, while the larger side boasts a spacious open-concept common area with a soaring two-storey roofline, fronted by a wall of solid glass. The subtle shearing of these cone-shaped volumes directs sunlight into the centre of the building, and simultaneously enhances views from the building. White walls and blonde wood floors increase the feeling of lightness throughout the interior.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the home is only seen from outside. In an unusual move for a structure of this size, CKR finished the exterior in precast concrete. This allowed them to create high-tolerance graphic effects, in the form of lines running at eccentric angles between the panels, further enhancing the home’s irregular angles. The panels are fabricated from white concrete, allowing for a translucency impossible to achieve through surface pigmentation or white paint. The sealant between panels is a darker shade of grey to enhance the contrast against this luminous background. The entire structure is treated like a sculptural object that can only be appreciated from outside – and in a setting as idyllic as this, being outside as much as possible is the goal.
