Hidden amongst the pine trees in the rural suburbs of Stockholm, architect Matthew Eastwood of Swedish firm, Tengbom,has tailor-made his very own architectural treasure for his family to enjoy. Kebony, a global leader in the production of sustainable modified woods, was selected by Eastwood who embarked on this self-build with a clear objective – to build a house that blends naturally into its surroundings without causing harm to the fragile environment.
The 170m2 family home consists of three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious living room with an open plan kitchen. The house boasts an impressive dining room with glass walls on both sides, creating an airy atmosphere with a spectacular view, whilst incorporating plenty of natural daylight throughout the house and allowing the neighbouring forest to feature throughout the interior design.
The architect wanted a natural wood that resembled similar characteristics to the adjacent pine trees for the external cladding. Kebony proved to be the perfect material and was carefully chosen by Eastwood owing to its resilience to wear and weathering. Developed in Norway, Kebony’s revolutionary technology is an environmentally friendly and patented process which modifies sustainably sourced softwoods by heating the wood with furfuryl alcohol – an agricultural by-product. By polymerising the wood’s cell wall, the softwoods permanently take on the attributes of tropical hardwood including high durability, hardness and dimensional stability. This unique process also provides Kebony with its characteristic appearance, which only grows more beautiful with time.
Matthew Eastwood, Owner and Architect commented: “One of the main reasons we fell for Kebony, was due to the gradual changes of its colour – from a warm and exotic brown to an exclusive silver grey scale as it adapts through the years, it’s a truly beautiful transition to witness. We are incredibly proud of our house and often have people approach us to find out which cladding has been used, people hardly believe me when I explain that it is natural pine wood, and above all that it is maintenance free.”
Adrian Pye, International Sales Director at Kebony added: “It is always rewarding for Kebony to hear that architects are personally choosing our product for their own homes. Matthew Eastwood is an incredibly talented architect and this family home is an exceptional demonstration of how a house can be designed to suit its natural environment.”
