Runmarö Uppeby 612

The journey here alone marks the transition to something different. On an island where the boat connects everyday life with the mainland and the flatbed moped is a natural way to get around, there is a calm and a rhythm that has become increasingly rare. Here awaits a home for those who consciously seek seclusion, nature and a freer way of living – without compromising on architecture and quality.

On its own waterfront plot, the house sits undisturbed with the water ever present and the private jetty as a natural extension of the property. Here the day can begin with a morning swim, the boat can lie waiting at the jetty and the evenings can end at the water's edge. The proximity to the sea is not just a view or a beautiful backdrop – it is part of life here.

The house is designed with a clear respect for the site, where building and surrounding nature are allowed to interact. The contemporary timber architecture has a natural anchoring in the archipelago, while the house's distinctive volumes and characterful roofs give an expression that feels entirely its own. The material choices are honest and understated, yet the whole is all the more expressive. The architecture does not seek attention for its own sake, but lets proportions, materials and the encounter with the landscape create the quality.

Here the boundary between house and nature is also blurred. The waterfront plot becomes an extension of the home and the private jetty almost another room – for swimming, boating, quiet mornings and long summer evenings right by the water. Down by the shoreline there is also a separate guesthouse with a sauna, a private place for guests and relaxation with immediate proximity to the water. Together with the undisturbed setting, this creates a private sphere that is hard to find, let alone recreate.

Living on an island without a car ferry is a conscious choice – and for the right buyer it is the very point. Here the boat is not a leisure activity but part of life. The flatbed moped becomes the means of transport across the island, the jetty a natural meeting place and the distance to the mainland something that creates freedom rather than limitation. This is a home for those who value privacy over convenience in the conventional sense, nature over the pulse of the city and experiences over the predictable.

Waterfront plots with a private jetty are sought after. Architecturally refined homes are uncommon. When the two meet on an island with this distinctive way of life, something far rarer arises.

An archipelago home for those who do not seek what everyone else already has.

The seller tells the story.

I remember the summer of 2022 when I came walking along the road towards the lake and the little cottage. I fell in love immediately. The pines, the rocks, the calm, the wild strawberries. That season we were there from June to November.

There was no shower, so there were many swims in the lake. No washing machine either, so I had to take all the laundry into town. The cottage was not insulated for winter. Quite soon I began exploring the possibility of creating something new on the site together with Jordens arkitekter. I have always loved their place, Osprey Farm, their farming and their focus on sustainability.

The planning alone became part of the adventure – taking the ferry out, walking there on a wet winter day and surveying the site, talking about different materials and about the feeling the new house would convey.

It was a wonderful and exciting process, and truly a challenge to build on an island!

The old cottage was demolished. The walls and parts of the house were transported by ferry and helicopter. The massive, light timber walls, the large windows opening up to nature, the cosy window seat in the living room, the fireplace, the green roofs, the terraces around the house and the wonderful ceiling heights inside.

And suddenly there was a toilet, a shower and underfloor heating. Bunk beds for guests and children, the large open kitchen for cosy moments with friends, the bricks underfoot in the entrance, the books on the shelves in the library and the beautiful views in every direction.

When the house was completed in June 2025, we sat there – those of us who had built and planned – feeling proud of the so unique, safe and warm feeling we had created.