Fjället Cabin

Since childhood, both Sophie and Gustav have spent time in their families' cabins in the mountains, and the dream of having their own place had always been there. But when the time finally came to buy a home, there wasn’t much to choose from. The market only offered small houses in need of extensive renovation at high prices, which made them start considering building their own.

"We sat down and did the math and realized that buying a plot and building our dream home wasn’t much more expensive than investing in a major renovation," Sophie explains.

When a plot in Ottsjö came up for sale, they had found the perfect place. To outsiders, the land looked overgrown and dense, but Sophie and Gustav saw its potential.

"For us, the view and easy access to activities were key. We didn’t want to rely on a car to get around. With this location, we’re close to the grocery store while also having the mountains right behind the house—ready for all kinds of adventures," Sophie says with a smile.

Swedish, sustainable, and in harmony with nature

When the couple worked with their architect to design the house, they had a clear vision. A recurring theme in their discussions was the desire to live in harmony with nature. Choosing untreated heartwood pine cladding was an obvious decision.

"We live in the middle of nature and want to have as little impact on it as possible. That’s why it was important to use a material that doesn’t need treatment or paint but is naturally durable," says Sophie.

SCA Lynx fine-grooved heartwood pine cladding blends seamlessly into its surroundings and will develop a beautiful silver-gray patina over time.

"When we’ve had people over, they’ve been amazed by the cladding—its quality and appearance—and we completely understand them. It turned out ridiculously well," Sophie laughs.

A harmonious home built from wood

But SCA’s products aren’t just found on the exterior. Inside, in the central volume of the ceiling, there’s an interesting detail. Sophie repurposed SCA’s mountain panel, originally an exterior cladding, into an interior wall panel. While the result is impressive, the process was time-consuming.

"First, it had to dry indoors, then it had to be sanded by hand before I could start painting. I’d estimate that it took between 130 and 160 hours," Sophie says.

Now that the house is nearly finished, it’s not just the stunning final result that has impressed Sophie. Besides the tranquility that wood brings to the home, the acoustics also turned out to be an unexpected but welcome surprise.

"Something we hadn’t thought about, but that really struck us, was the acoustics. Even when the house was completely unfurnished, it was silent—there was no echo at all. It’s both incredibly cool and gives us so many design possibilities since we don’t have to let acoustics dictate our interior choices," Sophie explains.

With wood present both inside, outside, and in the surrounding landscape, Sophie feels that everything has come full circle. A well-planned home with carefully chosen materials creates a harmonious space.

"We feel so good here," Sophie says with a smile.

Balancing city life with mountain tranquility

As a photographer, Sophie’s days are fast-paced. Being able to escape the rush of the city and unwind in the mountains is something she truly values.

"It’s amazing—just what I need. While I love the energy of Stockholm, having this peaceful retreat in the mountains is invaluable," says Sophie.

"I also love how positive everything feels here. In Stockholm, the weather often dictates whether people want to do things—it’s either too cold and windy, too hot, too dry, or too wet. In the mountains, the weather instead opens up endless possibilities," Sophie adds.

Creative solutions and upcycling

Now that the couple has settled into their newly built home, they finally have time to enjoy it.

"After the final inspection, any remaining work has been driven purely by passion. What’s left to do can take its time—we’re also making sure to enjoy the adventures the mountains have to offer," says Sophie.

But there are still plans to further develop the house. When the time comes, they’ll build a heartwood pine deck, and Sophie has big plans for repurposing materials.

"We had some leftover mountain panel that I sanded and painted, so the idea is to give the garage a facelift—even though that wasn’t part of the original plan."

"Gustav also came up with the brilliant idea of reusing the wooden crates that the roof was delivered in. There’s no reason to throw away perfectly good wood. Now we have a small deck at the back of the house—with a fantastic view of the mountains," Sophie says.

The house in Ottsjö is the first that the couple has both designed and built. But the journey from blueprint to reality has been an incredibly creative process.

"For both of us, this entire experience has been incredibly rewarding. Seeing the finished product of what we once sketched and envisioned is just amazing," Sophie concludes.