A private glade in Mellbystrand

Mellbystrand, with its wide sandy beach and peaceful nature, has attracted holiday visitors from across the country for over 100 years. Already in the 1940s vacation homes began to be built here and today the area consists of a calm villa development with proximity to both hiking trails and lush pine forest.

With several generations on the same plot

For the Malmö residents Magnus and Hilda Kenneby, the locality in Halland really is a second home. As a child Magnus spent almost all his summers here and now, when the couple have children themselves, it felt natural that it would be in Mellbystrand that the family would get their own retreat:

– My parents-in-law bought a house in Mellbystrand together with my husband's grandmother and grandfather, so his family has had a multi-generational residence here for a long time. Because it's a large plot and a place where we are so often, it naturally fell to us to build something of our own on my parents-in-law's plot, Hilda says.

Adjacent to Hökafältets nature reserve

The large plot, framed by stately pines and birch trees, is just a stone's throw from Hökafältets nature reserve, where the family often goes to pick berries and enjoy nature:rn– That scent of warm pine is really special. I, who come from Viken in northwest Skåne, did not grow up with that kind of nature, so being so close to the forest feels very exotic and unique to me, she says.

A Glänta of their own for the family

Now Magnus and Hilda wanted to find accommodation that matched the original house, a red single-storey villa from the 1950s with a low-pitched gabled roof. Building turnkey then became the simplest solution, where they were drawn to “Sommarnöjens känsla att bygga genuint”. Since the couple have three young children, it was necessary to really optimize the space, while also complying with the detailed development plan for a new building of max 50 square meters.rnWith the Tidlös Sommar 50 model in Falu red with an extra roof overhang, the two buildings would blend well together, without depriving the new house of its unique expression with the large glazed sections. In the Glänta floor plan, which Magnus and Hilda chose, the windows are placed on the front and rear long sides.

A floor plan with nature in focus

– First we considered divided-light windows or something else that reminded us of the main building, but then we settled on the large glass sections precisely so you wouldn’t think so much about them but rather the surroundings outside. They don’t need to be very expressive, just be there to let nature speak its own language, she explains and adds:

– We also made a custom solution with an extra large window at the back so you can see through the whole house. Behind our house there is a small grove of trees, so when we’re in the garden or the front patio you can partly see the house, but also the forest behind it.

"A family of five manages quite well on 50 square meters"

With the front patio and the large wooden deck that runs along the entire house, the couple have created an extra room, with plenty of space for lively children with energy. Here are durable, lightweight pieces of furniture that can easily be moved in and out with the seasons, carefully selected by Hilda who herself is an architect and runs an interior design agency focusing on sustainable interiors:

– At home in our villa in Malmö the interior is very colorful and maximalist, but here I wanted to create a completely different feeling with a calmer color palette and a more stripped-back interior that respects the house’s modernist lines. At the same time I think the summer cottage should be a jumble of flea market finds and various things from relatives and friends. Few things have been newly purchased for the house, which feels very good.

Hilda and Magnus chose the Calm interior style

Hilda recommends visiting Sommarnöjens show house before a purchase to really see and feel all the materials in the interiors, something they themselves did not do:

– Those are things you can’t see in a picture. The wall panel for the Calm interior style that we chose is quite roughly planed and if you happen to bump the wall you can get a little scrape.

If we had taken the time to go to a viewing we might have chosen a different material there. It’s easy to get a bit tired of all the choices that have to be made when you build new, but in the end you benefit from taking that time.

Never want to go home

Since the house was assembled in the summer of 2023 the family goes out to their new summer retreat as often as they can – especially the children have taken the house to their hearts and "never want to go home". Going forward a bunk bed will be built for the youngest and other, slightly smaller solutions that usually appear when you settle into a house.

The children love it. When we go back home to Malmö it has also become quite clear that a family of five gets by quite well on 50 square meters. In addition, it feels a bit luxurious to be able to come here to our new house since we live in an older villa at home, says Hilda.