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Located in the village of Stokkseyri on Iceland’s North Atlantic coast, the rugged holiday getaway is surrounded by walls of locally sourced volcanic stones. -
Old larch meets old lava: the natural tones of the barn blend seamlessly into the Icelandic landscape. The exterior is clad in Siberian larch, whose naturally high resin content means it does not require any additional preservation, making it both ecofriendly and maintenance-free. -
Old larch meets old lava: the natural tones of the barn blend seamlessly into the Icelandic landscape. The exterior is clad in Siberian larch, whose naturally high resin content means it does not require any additional preservation, making it both ecofriendly and maintenance-free. -
A porthole mirror from Ilva complements the maritime theme of the house perfectly. -
Ready for a rainy day: nothing reminds Rut of Icelandic holidays quite like a pair of Hunter boots. -
An Argentinian butterfly chair with a reindeer skin is the perfect reading spot. -
The living room, as seen from the open-plan kitchen, offers views of the sea beyond. The Nero Marquina marble table is one of owner Rut Káradóttir’s most beloved pieces. -
All aboard the Upper Deck: view from the open-plan living area across the kitchen and into the master bedroom behind. The upstairs flooring is made of brushed Siberian larch with a lye coating. -
The one-seater sofas from IKEA are ideal for unwinding at the end of the day. The Costanza floor lamp from Luceplan between them features so frequently in Rut’s interiors that Icelandic suppliers have nicknamed it “Rut’s lamp”. The rug is from PB Home. -
The smaller of the two bedrooms features art by Rut’s father Kari Sigurdsson, Moroccan throws, cushions from the Ilse Crawford line for IKEA, and a bamboo ladder by Flamant. -
The custom bathroom cabinets in lacquered MDF with a matt finish are reminiscent of the moss-covered stone walls outside. -
The Siberian larch exterior has also been used for window shutters, adding rustic charm to the master bedroom. -
Extended side windows allow guests to observe the night sky from the bed. -
The shower fittings, installed by the former owner, perfectly match the minimalistic elegance of the rest of the house.
WORDS Chantal Hintze PRODUCTION Wilma Custers/Features & More PHOTOS Krista Keltanen/magazinefeatures.co.za
Built in 2010, this modern barn in Iceland may embrace the rugged North Atlantic Ocean more than it does a traditional Icelandic Design, but its owners have blunted the elements with a simple and thoughtfully curated interior.
Icelandic Interior Designer Rut Káradóttir is a dreamer. For five years, she collected items from her favourite Scandinavian homeware brands and treasures from her travels, storing them in her garage. She’s patient, too: for years, Rut and her husband, marketing consultant Kristinn Arnarson, had been taking the 45-minute drive from Reykjavik to Stokkseyri whenever they wanted to indulge in a bucket of fresh lobster tails at their favourite restaurant, Fjörubordid. On one of their visits to this sleepy village on the Great Thjórsá Lava shoreline in the southwest of Iceland, the couple spotted a new barn being built. They fell in love with it, and it might be no coincidence that Rut began her beach-house collection around the same time as they first saw the barn. Suddenly, each visit to Stokkseyri not only meant a great dinner, but also a chance to check on “their” barn.
Fast-forward five years to a leisurely Sunday morning, and Rut was browsing the real-estate section of the local newspaper, “more out of habit than a desire to find a new property”, when she stumbled upon “their” barn. “We had just finished renovating a property in the west of Iceland and I knew we couldn’t afford another one just yet – but at least I’d finally get a glimpse inside,” she recalls.
They immediately arranged a viewing and, two days later, were the proud owners of their getaway by the sea. “There was a lot of interest, but the owners were incredibly taken by our enthusiasm,” says Rut, who promptly set to work. Over the next six months, she stamped her unique Nordic style with a touch of Japanese simplicity on the house, all while keeping their latest addition to the property family a secret.
Rut and Kristinn’s barn stands out among the more traditional cottages in the village of Stokkseyri. The previous owners had a strong connection to the sea – the husband was a ship engineer and had spent most of his life on or around ships. In their late 60s, they commissioned their architect son to devise a house for them, reminiscent of the husband’s maritime past. “It is no surprise that the former owner chose this spot for their barn ship,” says Kristinn. “With the North Atlantic on the doorstep, you feel out at sea; even more so when standing on the Bridge (balcony), with the Icelandic wind ruffling your hair.”
Inside, the seafaring theme continues, and Rut and Kristinn still fondly call the two floors Upper Deck and Lower Deck – they’re connected by a staircase that wouldn’t be out of place on an elegant yacht. The couple were conscious that they wanted to work with the building’s past, embracing nautical details such as the porcelain cabin lights, and even adding some of their own, like a porthole mirror in the hallway.
Just like a ship, the barn has adapted perfectly to its surroundings. The Siberian larch that makes up the exterior cladding has weathered to a soft, cloudy grey, blending perfectly into the volcanic landscape. Rut believes that “when the architecture of a building is very strong, you have to ensure that the interior and exterior are working in unison”. And through her unique style that is so firmly rooted in her native countryside, she has ensured just that. She selected a neutral colour scheme, drawing on natural elements that surrounded the barn – the moss-covered lava stones, the beach behind the house. As a result, she managed to bring some of Iceland’s untamed landscape inside, adding a touch of luxurious elegance to the barn without losing any of its authenticity.
Now that the garage is empty, what’s next for the enthusiastic duo? “We’re still too young to just sit back and live the dream,” says Rut, “so we’ll go on dreaming for a while.” For now, her interior design studio is keeping her busy, and when she’s not collecting chairs for her future house, she’s transforming the properties of her international clients with her uniquely Icelandic-chic aesthetic.
Rut and Kristinn are delighted that they get to share all this with the ever-increasing influx of visitors to Iceland. “At some point in the future, we plan to be here more regularly, but in the meantime, we are very happy to rent it out so others get to enjoy this unique spot, too.” Their visitors certainly have a lot to look forward to, from the possibility of spotting the Northern Lights during the winter months to the opportunity to observe the starry night sky through the window above the bed in the master bedroom – and, of course, fresh lobster tails at Fjörubordid.
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