Sauna + Guesthouse

"Furniture in Landscape"

A sauna and a guesthouse integrated into the alpine landscape of northern Italy. An exploration of architectural properties, local materials and craftsmanship, and the connection between humans, buildings, and nature.

Type: Sauna and a Guesthouse/ Atelier

Location: Domodossola, Northern Italy

Year: 2023

The Sauna + Guesthouse project combines architecture and furniture design, with a focus on scale, proportion, and materials that connect harmoniously with the human body and the surrounding environment.

Drawing inspiration from the Finnish sauna culture and the timeless mountain architecture of northern Italy, the sauna structure features a shell made of reused granite slates that emerge from the landscape, seamlessly blending into its surroundings like a piece of furniture in a room. Resting lightly on the sauna's foundation, a box constructed of black stained pine logs forms the majority of the interior, providing users with a tactile, comfortable, and familiar experience.

The guesthouse, which also serves as an atelier for the user, a full-time artist, is a light and simple timber construction characterized by visible posts and beams. Its black interior, along with the visible construction elements and bespoke furniture, whether loose or integrated, emits elegance and warmth, while directing the user's focus towards the picturesque landscape. 

This project establishes a profound bond between the built environment and nature, as thoughtfully positioned buildings emerge from the landscape and delicately rest on it, embodying the project's theme of "furniture in the landscape”, showcasing the beauty of both architecture and the natural world.

Guesthouse

Sauna

Drawings

Site visit + Registration

Site