Norwegian architect Margit-Kristine Solibakke Klev has designed an extraordinary glasshouse situated amidst trees and pasture in the Kongsberg area. Welcome to the Norwegian greenhouse home!
By placing her bespoke building inside a vast glass barn, which was delivered as a kit from Denmark and erected on site in just two weeks, Klev has created a house on an idea originated from the principle of a “house within a house.”
The external skin forms a greenhouse with an area of almost 360 m². Situated within this is a two-storey house made of red pine, with approximately 250 m² of living space. The space between the wooden and the glass house is used by the four-person family as an extended living room from spring to late autumn. It is a place that bridges the gap between inside and outside, noticeably mitigating the raw Norwegian climate during the cooler months. In the summer, the greenhouse then becomes a meeting place for friends and family. Only in the darkest winter does life retreat completely back to the wooden core.
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At the end of a long road that winds through a dense spruce forest, just north of the small town of Kongsberg, sits an enormous greenhouse by a stream. Inside, an abundance of fruit trees—figs, grapes, citrus, cherries, and plums—as well as a variety of vegetables, grow in stark contrast to the surrounding snowy landscape.
Klev grew up on a farm, situated in a rural area to the west of Drammen and Oslo. Now, her mother and father, as well as her brother and sister, all live nearby. She initially studied ecology before switching her attention to architecture at the University of Trondheim, followed by a year in Stockholm. She worked with two practices in Oslo before co-founding her own business, known as Outline, based in Drammen. The Greenhouse Home was one of her first independent projects, and also one of the most personal, shared with her husband, physicist and hydrogen specialist Arnstein Norheim, and their two young children.
The largest space is occupied by the kitchen, which is connected to the greenhouse via a wide glass frontage. In the summer, it can be opened completely, allowing the inside and outside to merge. And Klev has planned another kitchen: it is situated on the roof of the inserted wooden house. It is where the architect likes to host large family gatherings and other celebrations.
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This individual building, completely tailored to the architect’s and her family’s requirements, is rounded off with a succinct and fresh color concept. It was developed in collaboration with the color consultant Dagny Thurmann-Moe from Koi Colour Studio. One highlight, among others, is the pink clay floor on the ground floor, which feels soft and warm beneath your feet. Additionally, the furniture fronts, covering materials, curtains, wall colors, tiles, and wallpapers in the bedrooms and bathrooms on the first floor are tailored to the personalities of the family members. Among others, fresh blue, red, and pink tones were chosen, as well as tonalities that lean more towards black. They complete the romantically contemporary interior of this unusual, architect-designed house.
The Norwegian Greenhouse Home, written by Tor Kjolberg based on descriptions from the architects.
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