Enkelrum

When Linda and Björn set out to build their holiday home on Gotland, they chose to go in the opposite direction of the classic dream of more square meters. Instead, they decided to downsize and prioritize freedom over living space. The result is a 40-square-meter house in the Panorama model from Enkelrum – a home where every surface is carefully considered and where the panoramic window blurs the boundary between indoors and outdoors. Here, nature, light, and the Gotland landscape are a natural part of everyday life.

We meet Linda and Björn in a conversation about the decision to build smaller, about the importance of the panoramic window for the sense of space – and about how thoughtful material choices and sustainable solutions can make a compact home feel both generous and personal.

You chose to build a holiday home of just 40 sqm, even though the plot could have accommodated more. What was behind that decision?

“We started, as you do, by considering a slightly larger house and looked at a few different suppliers and house models. But after thinking it through a couple of times, we realized that the life we wanted to live in our future holiday home would mainly focus on outdoor living. Cycling, roller skiing, swimming, walks, coffee in the sun, barbecue evenings with conversations in the summer – and for that, you don’t need that many square meters indoors. During the winter months, you’re usually indoors more, but then it’s mostly just the two of us, and we don’t need that much space.

Of course, there’s also a significant cost advantage to building smaller and more efficiently. We still have a lot of plot space ‘left,’ and we imagine that in the future there will be plenty of room to add another house, so we can host family and friends. That can grow over time.

There’s a wonderful sense of freedom in not having so many things and ‘must-dos’ with you. Life in this house is meant to be simple and enjoyable. And it’s also very fun and a positive challenge to make a smaller house work in everyday life.”

A window to the landscape

The Panorama model from Enkelrum is designed to maximize natural light and create an architecture where the surroundings become a natural part of the space. The large glass section at the gable opens the house toward the landscape and blurs the boundary between inside and outside. In a compact house like this, light and views take on even greater importance – the space feels larger, deeper, and more connected to the place outside.

Is there any solution or detail in the Panorama house that you may not have thought much about when you moved in, but which today has become crucial to how well the house works for you?

“The panoramic window is truly the heart of the house. Here we follow the changing seasons and are right in the middle of them – it’s both calming and soulful. On clear, starry nights, you can lie on the sofa and look straight up at shooting stars in the sky. It’s an incredible view that you’re not exactly spoiled with as a city dweller.”

What do guests usually react to or get surprised by when they visit your home – the size, the feeling, or something else entirely?

“The first thing people react to is, of course, the large panoramic window – most people stand there for a while. It does something to the whole room and enhances the sense of space throughout the house. At the same time, many are surprised by the proportions of the rest of the house. The bedroom is basically normal-sized, and the bathroom as well. We had probably imagined that the bathroom would feel more like a large closet, but in reality, it’s actually bigger than the bathroom in our apartment.”

In a smaller home, materials and functions become more noticeable. Every detail carries more weight in how the home is experienced and used in everyday life. Linda and Björn therefore chose to put extra care into a few well-considered upgrades – solutions that both enhance the function of the house and elevate the feel of the spaces.

How has choosing a smaller home affected the way you live – both in daily life and in how you use time, space, and belongings?

“Living in a smaller space means fewer things – but everything you have is carefully chosen and serves a purpose. It’s incredibly liberating! With smart storage and multi-functional furniture, you can fit more than you think.”

Where did you choose to invest in quality or luxury, and why did that feel especially important in a small house?

“We chose to invest in quality and in what truly feels like luxury to us. When you build a house once in your life, you want it to be as good as possible. The planning stage is almost the best part – being able to choose everything yourself, from the kitchen and cabinet fronts to the bathroom, window placements, and how the electrical system is designed.”

Water as a resource

On Gotland, water is a limited resource, especially during the summer months. That’s why the bathroom also became a space where sustainable technology played an important role – including a circular shower solution from Orbital Systems.

You chose a circular shower solution from Orbital Systems already at the planning stage. How has it worked in everyday life, especially considering that you live on Gotland where water is a limited resource?

“Our house is on Gotland, and water scarcity is very present there, especially during the summer months. As seasonal residents, we really want to limit our water consumption so we don’t put unnecessary strain on the island and the people who live here year-round. The Orbital shower makes this very tangible – on the touchscreen, you can constantly see how much water is being used and how much you save during each shower. The shower experience itself is basically like a regular shower, but with a clear high-tech feel. Once you’re done washing, you can, for example, stay a bit longer since the water then starts to circulate and be reused, without increasing total water consumption. Overall, it makes you more aware of water in everyday life, without having to compromise on comfort.”

For Linda and Björn, life in their Enkelrum is not about having less – but about making room for more of what truly matters to them: the nature outside the window, time together, and a home where every detail is thoughtfully considered.