A Contemporary Villa In Norway That Shows Great Respect For The Past

Villa Fjeldhøi is a beautiful private home located in Jar, outside Oslo. It occupies a piece of land where there was previously a house built back in 1912 with an attached outdoor shed and a henhouse. The original house was in too bad of a condition to be restored so it had to be taken down.

The site on which the house is built is very old and has a really nice view of the fjord

However, it didn’t all go to waste. A lot of the parts and materials recovered from it were donated towards the restoration of other houses from the same period. In its place, studio Morfeus Arkitekter erected a new house in a contemporary style. It has the same footprint as the original building, the shed and henhouse combined and it’s two-story high.

The west-facing side opens up towards the garden and has a spiral staircase that connects the two floors on the exterior

The location is really beautiful, on a ridge with a nice view of the Oslo fjord in the distance and tall pine trees around it. Must of the vegetation, trees and the garden to the west were preserved and are now contributing to creating a charming atmosphere around the new residence. The driveway and access road have been kept in the same place, with the driveway now being covered by the building’s cantilevered second floor terraces. Speaking of which, the side of the house facing the garden has terraces on both floors as well as an outdoor fireplace and a spiral staircase made of metal which gives direct access from the garden into the house and vice versa.

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The roof was kept low and simple in order to not block the views for the rest of the neighboring houses

The living area, kitchen and dining room share a big open space on the top floor with access to a terrace

The top floor is considerably larger than the ground level, extending over what once used to be a shed and henhouse

There's a charming outdoor terrace with a fireplace on the western side of the house — There’s a charming outdoor terrace with a fireplace on the western side of the house

The black exterior of the house is clad in timber and metal, giving it a simple and modern appearance. The roof is simple and flat keeping the height of the house low out of respect for the neighboring homes. The interior includes a big combined social area on the top floor, with an open kitchen, living room and dining area. There’s also access to a covered terrace and a stylish oak staircase which leads down to the bottom level. The ground floor has polished concrete flooring for a smoother transition between the indoor and outdoor and large windows which allow it to be filled with sunlight throughout the day.