Project Info
Project Name: Sjöparken
Location: Halland, Sweden
Architects: Norm Architects
Designers: Frederik Werner
Interior Designer: Hedda Klar
Furnishing & Lighting: Audo Copenhagen, Wastberg
In the quiet beech forests of Halland, Sweden, a new kind of retreat has emerged - one that dissolves the boundaries between architecture, nature, and well-being. Sjöparken is more than a hotel extension; it is a sanctuary of understated luxury where Nordic simplicity, Japanese design traditions, and the spirit of tropical resort living converge to create an experience that feels at once familiar and otherworldly.
A Floating Village by the Lake
At the heart of Sjöparken are seven villas perched delicately above the water. Each villa links four hotel rooms through glass corridors, creating the sensation of strolling through an open-air village. This design pays homage to the site’s past, when modest cottages once dotted the area, while offering a wholly contemporary interpretation of communal and private space. The lake is ever-present - from private bathing jetties to discreet pools hidden beneath the water’s surface - ensuring guests remain tethered to the calming rhythms of nature.
A floating village on the lake, inspired by tradition yet imagined for the future
Wake up with uninterrupted lake views
Architecture as Experience
Sjöparken is designed as a framework for rituals of stillness, togetherness, and self-care. Every gesture is intentional: oakwood cladding, soft textiles, natural stone, and ceramics echo the forest and water beyond the glass. Wooden louvers filter sunlight into shifting patterns that animate the interiors throughout the day, eliminating the need for decoration. Light, texture, and tactility shape the atmosphere, making the architecture feel alive.
Inside, the layout balances intimacy with openness. A central lounge flows seamlessly into the bedroom, divided by only layers of light and timber. Doors are concealed within the wooden walls, maintaining a calm, continuous expression. Saunas clad entirely in wood open directly to the water’s edge, where guests can transition from warm cocoon to cool lake before retreating to stone-clad bathrooms bathed in skylight - a journey designed as a choreography of the senses.
Oakwood, natural stone, and soft textiles mirror the surrounding forest and water
Open yet intimate - interiors that balance privacy with connection
Minimal spaces, designed for maximum well-being
Filtered light through wooden louvers creates living artwork indoors
Calm interiors where simplicity becomes the purest luxury
The Spirit of Place
For Norm Architects, the studio behind Sjöparken, the guiding principle was to create something spectacular in the most understated way possible. Wooden cladding and green roofs root the villas in local building traditions, while glass passages recall the walkways of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Japanese architectural references - louvered screens, transitional corridors, column-lined decks – infuse the spaces with serenity, while the typology of water villas nods to the tropics.
The result is a new hybrid: distinctly Nordic in form yet globally resonant in spirit. As Frederik Werner of Norm Architects explains, “Working with a repetitive system, allowing for both transparency and privacy, was one of the main design principles… these hallways act not just as connectors, but as experiences themselves.”
Where Nordic simplicity meets Japanese serenity - Sjöparken redefines the art of tranquil luxury
A Landscape of Harmony
The architecture of Sjöparken is inseparable from its surroundings. Sunlight, water reflections, shifting weather, and the scents of the lake become integral to the experience. Artificial lighting, carefully designed with Anker&Co, accentuates rather than competes with these natural elements, ensuring the atmosphere remains calm and immersive.
As Hedda Klar of Norm Architects notes, “The material palette is crafted to interact harmoniously with the everchanging Swedish nature… adapting to the seasons, it enhances the sensory experience.”
Sjöparken is more than a hotel - it’s a sanctuary of togetherness and well-being
A Benchmark in Tranquil Luxury
By extending the hospitality offerings of Ästad Vingård and building on its collaboration with the Michelin-starred restaurant ÄNG, Sjöparken represents more than architectural innovation. It is a benchmark in holistic hospitality, where architecture, landscape, food, and well-being form a seamless whole.
Or, as Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects summarizes: “We wanted to create something that could stand out and be spectacular in the most understated and natural way possible - something that feels inevitable for this place, yet unique in the world.”
Photo Credit: Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
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