Redefining Architectural History in Norway

Overlooking Paradis outside Bergen lies the iconic Villa Schjøtt, designed by Geir Grung in the 1960s, built for his brother-in-law Helge Schjøtt. By many it's considered an architectural masterpiece, is easily identified by its glass walls that provide panoramic views of the surroundings and blur the lines between indoor-outdoor spaces. The geometric villa was built as a social family home, promoting a more informal lifestyle. Openness and seamless flow ensured a connection to nature. One might think that someone in their 60s is going into retirement but that's far from true. Michelsens transformed the iconic house and moved it into the 21st century.

The experts in interior and renovation, took on the massive project of modernizing Villa Schjøtt without doing harm to its appearance or functionality. Villa Schjøtt was in quite bad shape and technically outdated. We made some material and quality choices early on because the villa was after years of usage and a few strange architectural changes - a patchwork of different products and surfaces. We tried to go back to what we imagined Geir Grung would love - continued his play with geometric forms and made it a fusion of Scandinavian and Japanese design and style.

White-painted brick (original) offers a modern touch. The floor area in main floor are fitted with 3 widths of customized oak flooring from Michelsens and to connect the indoor entrance area and outdoor, the solution was to make additional customized concrete flooring to match (wooden floor) widths from Tunge Ting at Voss close to Bergen. They also produced sinks by Michelsens design and kitchen countertops. Michelsens took the materials down to the most essential, seamless lines and smooth transitions with the usage of mostly nature-based products - concrete, brick walls, wood, glass, mirror, and indirect and technical lighting.

In this concept, thinking raw material usage for flooring, doors and bespoke furniture - with the aim to make few footprints across all products, was essential. Odilon and Socrete on bathroom floors and walls made a perfect addition with its seamless, beautiful surface. Due to the close connection to the outdoors, we had high needs for durability and low maintenance, and Socrete fits perfectly! In the multipurpose room downstairs, you can entertain, go to the spa, have movie nights, work out, have wine tasting, and of course - party! The result is a warm, contemporary, minimalism.

The light color palette and the presence of natural light contribute to a tranquil ambiance. All bespoke furniture and door solutions by Michelsens and they hope people find it an interesting and successful merge between the interior solutions, how they brought technical needs as ventilation and lighting to positions so original thought and construction was as intact as possible and that qualities with the outstanding architecture by Geir Grung is still strong - as aimed for. It's a house filling you with joy. Says Nina Michelsen.