'The latest available design is a sumptuous wooden dwelling and pavilion by supermodel Helena Christensen and designer Camilla Stærk, named the Swallow Cabin and Spa Pavilion. The duo have their own namesake studio based in New York City, which successfully dabbles in fashion, furniture, photography, and film. Both natives of Denmark, the women were inspired by classic, minimalist Scandinavian architecture, and designed both buildings with persimmon stained black and warm gray woods. The gray smoke glass windows reflect natural light, protecting skin from harmful rays. To add to the dark drama, Christensen and Staerk went for a curved roof of lacquered black wood, which depicts the silhouette of a swallow, a bird that breeds in northern Scandinavia. From the side, however, the avian-inspired home resembles the hull of a Viking ship turned upside down. The property has one master bedroom, two additional bedrooms, and a terrace, where one can cocktail before settling in for the night.'

'Once given the green light, “Helena and I do what we always do when we have to work on a project: We got in the car and drove to the mountains in upstate New York and talked it out and sketched away,” Staerk recalls. The nearby swallows became a signature element in their design work, paired with visual references to the Viking ship, a nod to their Nordic heritage. “It was so beautiful and organic to translate our dark, romantic approach into architecture,” Stærk says.'

Excerpt by Cator Spark for Architectural Digest

Published August 10, 2018