In the rural suburbs of Stockholm an architechtural treasure is hiding amongst the pine trees.

This is the home of architecht Matthew Eastwood, of the Swedish architect firm Tengbom, and his family. They wanted to build a house in the forest to be close to nature, without intruding on the scenery.

– The idea was to place the house as carefully as possible to not harm the fragile environment, and to have it naturally blend in as part of the woods, Matthew explains.

When nature plays the main role

The 170 m2 house consists of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a spacious living room with an open kitchen. The dining room has glass walls on both sides, creating an airy atmosphere and great view, and allowing the surrounding forest to play a part of the interior as well. There is plenty of natural daylight throughout the house, as part of the architects vision to minimize the contrast between outside and inside.

Matthew knew early on that he wanted to use natural wood cladding, but to find a material that was both practically, ethically and esthetically satisfying, turned out to be quite a challenge.

– The exterior is inspired by the surrounding pine trees, so when choosing the cladding material, we wanted natural wood with a similar character. It was also important that the material would be resilient to all weather types, he says.

Maintenance free

Matthew and his wife also decided they wanted a type of wood that was maintenance free, as they don’t wish to spend their free time on maintenance, as well as bring paint or any chemicals into the forest.

– With such an extensive list of criteria, Kebony was the clear choice, Matthew states.

– There were hardly any other suppliers that could match Kebony in terms of quality, design and safety for the environment.

Eco-friendly technology

Developed in Norway, Kebony is treated with an eco-friendly and patented technology which enhances the wood, giving it the qualities of tropical hardwood; maximal hardness, durability and stability. This unique process also provides Kebony with the characteristic appearance, which only grows more beautiful with time.

Matthew thinks its important to think long term when choosing wood as exterior cladding, as wooden materials ages differently.

– One of the main features we fell for with Kebony, was how the color gradually changes from a warm and exotic brown to a exclusive silver gray scale. It’s almost poetic how the wood of our house grows and develop through the years, it’s truly a beautiful transition to witness.

Impressed industry professionals

Dennis Hedenskog from Leadme assisted Matthew and the contractor in the building process, and remember being fascinated when hearing of the ambitious, self designed project, and the conscious choice to use natural wood cladding.

– Kebony was really a great material to work with, but we are especially pleased with the esthetic result, says Dennis.

A local attraction

After the unique housing project was finalized, Matthew and his family received a great deal of interest from people who are curious about the wooden exterior.

– Our house truly stands out and we frequently have people approach us to ask what for wooden cladding we have used. People hardly believe me when I explain them that it’s natural pine wood, and that it’s even maintenance free. I then proceed to explain them about the Norwegian Kebony technology, the happy new house owner concludes.