Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Kolonilott – a diary

Spring has sprung and this means the Scandinavian allotment season is upon us in the Nordic region for another year, writes Shedworking's north European correspondent Sy Willmer. I have teamed up with the Swedish contemporary furniture designer and maker Lasse Claesson to report for Shedworking readers on his current renovation project, a 1930s vintage, which begins in earnest this year.

Lasse and his wife brought the plot two years ago in the picturesque southern Swedish city of Lund, where his retail shop and production facility are located, as a weekend retreat for their young family. The shed (pictured above) is to be found on large plot amongst other attractive traditional yellow and red timber constructions. Time over the first couple of years at the plot has been occupied by the surrounding growing beds' renovation where the couple now happily grow their own fresh green produce.

Potential is in abundance: the 70-year-old construction is solid with no rot or damp and has all the features that make these buildings attractive. This example has traditional timber lock panel exterior, is fully insulated, has robust opening glazed windows and its crowning glory is a nifty octagonal dome roof. Although permitted to build up to 30m2 Lasse has in fact reduced its size by taking down a later extension to increase the building’s cosiness factor. The plan is to create two “outside rooms” either side of the shed as raised timber platforms with open yet shaded roofs. Their realisation would be an excellent opportunity to include an eco friendly green wall system and would be beneficial to the surrounding environment as the allotment is located reasonably close to the city centre.

In forthcoming posts we shall see how his creative talent shapes this now humble shed into a fresh example of a modern Swedish recreational building and I am excited to see what he has will be producing for the shed’s interior as well as its exterior!

Lasse’s shop can be found at Kävlingevägen 1, Lund, Sweden.

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