She Couldn’t Save the 1764 Farmhouse—But Its Colorful Spirit Lives On

Our Focus series shines the spotlight on the details: the extraordinary materials, spaces, and ideas that take great projects to the next level.

At first glance, Cecilia Hedin’s summerhouse in southern Sweden might appear just to be another restored farmhouse. "It’s actually a completely new house, but with an old soul," explains architect Sara Lunneryd of Lunneryd Arkitekter.

When Cecilia bought the original house on the coast of Halland in southwest Sweden, a region famed for its sandy beaches and windswept fields of rye, her intention was to restore it.

The area holds a special place in Cecilia’s heart as her family already owned an adjacent property. "I wanted my three children to enjoy the same summer vacations I’d had, and that my mother had had before me," she says.   

When, on closer inspection, the 1764 farmhouse was found to be dilapidated beyond repair, Cecilia had to make the difficult decision to demolish and rebuild it.

"We took it down piece by piece, numbering every plank and rescuing every detail that could be reused," she explains.

While the main areas are defined by tasteful Scandinavian minimalism, the smaller spaces are boldly and unexpectedly colorful: from the children’s bedrooms to the yellow pantry, the blue staircase, and the three monochrome bathrooms, respectively resplendent in pink, green, and blue. Sara explains that the original house steered the palette for its successor, with every splash of color having been either reused or inspired by what was there before.