Friday, April 27, 2007

Arvesund - garden offices for hermits


The Swedish-based Arvesund has a lovely shed which they market as a Hermit's Cabin. Designed by Mats Theselius, it's aimed at one person use, measuring around eight square meters and covered inside and out with wood from old North Sweden barns. Those of you interested in Heidegger's Hut will be interested in some of the more philosophical writing on the site. “Most people probably associate the term Hermit’s Cabin with religion and monks” says Theselius. “But this cabin is rather a way of channelling the city dweller’s lack of seclusion and proximity to nature. I wanted to show people’s longing to escape from the intensity of urban life. The Hermit’s Cabin raises the issue of the individual versus society, and of mankind’s fundamental need for solitude. It’s about our origins and our relation to nature from the perspective of the urban society. Therefore the cabin is filled with most of the things a person need rather than the religious notion of the aesthetic or the most basic. Here you can light a fire, eat, sleep, read, doze or quite simply do nothing.” The cabin comes fully equipped with bed, chair, table, wardrobe, cooker, coathangers and curtain rods. Arvesund are also very keen on reusing old Swedish timber in furniture production (there's a special Hermit's Cabin birdbox which I rather like too).

Thanks to Jonathan Satchell from Hut for alerting me to Arvesund.

1 comment:

  1. If you think how little office space most workers get within a large office then the fact these garden offices and rooms are one person sized is still far better. Your own space and peace and quiet.

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