The wooden kitchen in Grand Designs
Just south of Stockholm, in the Nynäshamn archipelago, architect Xiao He and her husband Mats have built the holiday home “Nabben”, with inspiration from classic half-timbered houses and case study architecture. Xiao runs the Stockholm based architectural firm Studio He, which designs private homes.
– I love to create personal spaces. You get to learn everything about the client's lifestyle, if there are several people who will be living together, you learn everyone's quirks and movements, down to the pets, and create a flow and a design accordingly, Xiao says.
The well designed home in the latest episode of Grand Designs Sweden.
Light solid oak kitchen in Shaker style.
When Xiao designed “Nabben”, she used the same approach and took her own family's lifestyle into account. One of the questions she asked herself was if they needed both an indoor and an outdoor kitchen. In the end she decided on just one kitchen and placed it close to the terrace.
Open spaces creates an airy atmosphere in the living room/kitchen area.
The solid oak doors are a mix in style of a classic shaker kitchen and a minimalist Scandinavian design.
The choice of wooden cabinets is perhaps not surprising since it is a wooden house with many wooden elements. For example, Xiao has worked hard to let the structure, and it's beautiful beams, be part of the design. Something that is a bit unusual, however, is that she chose a raised shaker kitchen rather than a kitchen with minimalist doors.
Architect Xiao project in the latest season of Grand Designs Sweden 2022.
Beautiful living room interior with a two way fireplace.
Light oak kitchen combined with a timeless limestone worktop.
- I think sleek wooden cabinets are beautiful, but it was too plain. Because the house itself is so minimalistic, the kitchen needed to have more shape and personality. I was inspired by the way the house frames the windows and chose a paneled kitchen because it frames the cabinets in a similar way. It feels very luxurious to be in the kitchen and to open the cabinet doors and see the beautiful interior, which has white-stained oak as well.
Xiao the architect and owner of the house. Visit Studio he for more inspiration.
Lovely bedroom with a bespoke wardrobe section from Nordiska Kök.
Even the worktop has a luxurious finish, for which Xiao chose a beautiful natural stone.
- I think you can choose a "sensitive" worktop as long as the surface pattern has a lot of detail. It can look nicer with the patina that comes from stains than if you compromise and choose a more resilient worktop that is perhaps a less aesthetically pleasing choice.
From the kitchen island you can overlook the beautiful surroundings of the architect Grand Designs villa.
Both the layout of the kitchen and the choice of materials make Nabben's kitchen timeless and social. It makes the large room more versatile and interesting, disrupts the flow in the right way and fits the family perfect. It is a kitchen that is suitable for both cooking and hanging out and works well regardless of the time of year or how many people are in the room.
Beautiful limestone worktop.
Don’t miss the full house tour in the latest Grand Designs episode.
Bespoke wardrobes from us at Nordiska Kök with the tiled bathroom section, a beautiful little detail.
Photo: Kristofer Johnsson
Architecture: Studio He
