House at Nøtterøy by KOHT Arkitekter: A Subtle Insertion into Landscape and Life

On the coastal island of Nøtterøy, Norway, KOHT Arkitekter has realized a modest yet highly resolved single-family house that appears more embedded than constructed. Completed between 2018 and 2024, the project exemplifies the practice’s sensitivity to site, context, and craft. Its form is quiet, its materials restrained, and its architecture rooted in the conviction that buildings should grow from their settings, not dominate them.

House at Nøtterøy Technical Information

• Architects: KOHT Arkitekter
• Location: Nøtterøy, Norway
• Gross Area: 170 m² | 1,829 Sq. Ft.
• Project Years: 2018 – 2024
• Photographs: © Ruben Ratkusic

We believe in strong concepts rooted in a sensitive understanding of place and context.

– KOHT Architects

House at Nøtterøy Photographs

Design Intent and Relationship to Site

Situated on a sloped suburban plot, the house is defined by its respectful response to topography. It is neither perched above nor aggressively inserted, but rather cut into the landscape in a manner that reads as both practical and poetic.

The house is organized with living areas on the upper level, offering filtered views of the coastal surroundings, while bedrooms and auxiliary spaces are located on the lower level. This vertical zoning inverts the typical domestic arrangement, allowing public spaces to benefit from light and outlook, and private zones to retreat into the slope.

This gesture is reinforced in the model studies, where the volume is seen negotiating the stepped terrain with measured precision. The roof remains flat and unobtrusive, further reducing the building’s formal impact and foregrounding the natural setting.

Spatial Composition and Interior Atmosphere

Internally, the house unfolds with clarity and calm. The plans reveal a program that prioritizes spatial rhythm over complexity. Circulation is direct, yet softened by light, texture, and proportion. The stair, positioned centrally, acts as a pivot between levels and experiences.

The interior reveals a consistent material language, with pale oak flooring, timber cabinetry, and whitewashed walls that compose a palette that invites light while avoiding glare. The atmosphere is contemplative. Large but precisely placed windows frame specific scenes: a garden bed, a treetop, or a distant glimpse of water.

KOHT’s belief in atmosphere over formal bravado is evident throughout. Rooms are defined not by articulation but by scale and proportion. A desk built into a deep window reveal becomes both furniture and architecture. Light filtering through linen curtains softens corners and extends the horizon line. The design choreographs movement without declaring it.

Material Strategy and Construction Logic

The house is clad in vertical timber panels painted in a muted green tone. This color selection anchors the house in its vegetated surroundings, allowing it to sit quietly among neighboring homes. A minimal palette extends to the concrete base and the natural wood of the front door, which offers a warm and tactile point of entry.

In construction and detailing, KOHT avoids excessive articulation. Window trims, eaves, and door frames are minimal, allowing the surface treatment and form to remain coherent. The joinery is exact, yet never ostentatious. From the entrance sequence to the subtle thresholds between rooms, everything is executed with control and humility.

This rigor continues inside. Timber surfaces are uninterrupted, flush, and honest. Doors slide into wall pockets, transitions from tile to wood are clean, and built-ins merge seamlessly with walls. The emphasis is not on technological display, but on longevity and clarity.

Contextual and Cultural Positioning

The house speaks fluently to its Norwegian context without resorting to stylistic quotation. While it neither imitates the pitched roof vernacular nor overtly references regional typologies, it resonates with a broader Nordic architectural tradition rooted in understatement, tactility, and integration with nature.

It is in this broader cultural lineage that the House at Nøtterøy finds its architectural voice. The project does not seek attention; instead, it invites consideration. It is architecture designed not to impress, but to endure. Not to assert, but to accommodate.

House at Nøtterøy Plans

House at Nøtterøy Image Gallery

About KOHT Arkitekter

KOHT Arkitekter is an Oslo-based architecture studio known for its context-driven and understated design approach. The firm emphasizes spatial clarity, material honesty, and strong connections to landscape, often creating architecture that blends seamlessly with its surroundings. Their work spans residential, cultural, and public projects across Norway.