Hverfi Cabin

The Brief

A family wanted a private retreat in southwestern Iceland — somewhere remote enough to feel genuinely off-grid, but generous enough to host extended family for weeks at a time. The site is a grassy slope overlooking a fjord, with snow-dusted mountains across the water.

Our Approach

The villa is a long horizontal volume in dark-stained timber, with one end cantilevered toward the fjord and floor-to-ceiling glass facing the water on every primary room. Inside, warm cedar ceilings, oak floors, and a sculptural travertine fireplace. A wood-fired cedar hot tub on the deck overlooks the water.

The Outcome

A villa that vanishes into the landscape at dusk and glows like a lantern from the fjord at night. The owners' Jeep Wrangler sits on the gravel beside the house. Mornings begin with fjord mist through the bedroom window. Evenings end in the hot tub with the mountains in silhouette.