Where do we begin? Perhaps by saying that these long-legged lovelies were inspired by the homes of Tove Jansson’s round-bellied Moomins, by the tent-like shape of American A-frame cabins, by the soaring trees around them, by firetowers, and by power-line towers.
Whatever inspired them, they are the life project of journalist Kristian Rostad and actress Christine Mowinckel, who recruited an architect and a scientist to bring them to life.
Architect Espen Surnevik, known for his daring, innovative designs, envisioned sophisticated, man-made objects that would settle into the landscape without changing it. Master of Science Finn-Erick Nilsen was brought in to make the structural calculations, ensuring the ethereal designs could withstand the force of a double hurricane.
The result of all these imaginings and calculations? Majestic, almost otherworldly A-frame cabins on stilts, standing firm among the swaying trees of the boreal Finnskogen, the forest of the Finns, and described by French Vogue as “the perfect nature refuge”.
Named after Pan, the Greek god of forests and meadows, the two cabins are clad in black oxidized zinc and steel. Each is balanced on four pillars which are anchored to the rocky ground below, and accessed via free-standing spiral staircases and elevated walkways.
As if the cabins themselves weren’t striking enough, the location is extraordinary too. Finnskogen, two hours from Oslo and close to the Swedish border, is a massive ecological reserve full of elk, venison, capercaillie, wolves, bears and lynxes. These cabin rentals in Norway are definitely ones for the bucket list.
