Swedish studio In Praise of Shadows has renovated a 1960s riverside villa in Umeå, restoring its original features while introducing “clearly contemporary yet harmoniously integrated” details.
Named Villa by the River, the existing dwelling is one of three modernist villas designed by architect Istvan Poroszlay along the Ume river, of which only two were ever completed.
Although some alterations were made to the villa in the 1980s, many of its original features remained, and its new owner tasked Stockholm-based In Praise of Shadows with restoring these while updating the home to modern standards.
“Our approach was to preserve and highlight the villa’s historic qualities, maintaining original materials and features wherever technically feasible,” In Praise of Shadows co-founder Fredric Benesch told Dezeen.
“Where new interventions were necessary – whether spatial or material – they were designed to be clearly contemporary yet harmoniously integrated with the original architecture,” he added.
Key to the design of the original villa was its layout and distinctive angular form, which were created in response to its sloping site and river views.
The villa faces the street with a series of lower and private spaces partially dug into this slope, opening up at the back of the site to provide the living spaces with views of the river.
“One of the key challenges was to preserve this delicate balance between openness and enclosure while upgrading the house for contemporary living,” explains Benesch.
On Villa by the River’s upper level, In Praise of Shadows reconfigured the non-original kitchen to both connect it with and further open up two adjacent lounge spaces, which are separated from the bedrooms by a storage-lined corridor.
Below, a pool and lounge on either side of a fireplace have been complemented by the addition of a kitchenette, wine room and sauna.
Where these living spaces overlook the river, the villa’s original windows have been replaced with single, large panes of glass that further enhance the feeling of openness.
For the interiors, In Praise of Shadows either restored or “faithfully reinterpreted” the villa’s existing finishes, which included green linen wallpaper, cassette ceilings and wooden flooring.
A new herringbone oak floor unites the two lounge areas with the reconfigured kitchen and bedrooms on the upper level, while a damaged tiled floor on the lower level has been replaced and a limestone surround added to the pool.
Minimal changes were made to Villa by the River’s exterior, with the white and grey concrete sections repaired and the original wood panelling repainted black and complemented by new garage doors.
“The architecture already had a rich and expressive material and colour palette, so rather than reinventing, our task became one of careful curation – organising and refining what was already there,” explained Benesch.
“Deep blue tones in the kitchen and lounge provide contrast to the otherwise warm and natural interior, echoing original materials like teak, stone, and wood,” Benesch added.
“A deep green kitchenette connects visually to the wine room and echoes the pool’s colour, evoking the atmosphere of a Swedish forest lake,” he added.
Throughout, modern technical systems such as geothermal heating and heat recovery ventilation have been “discreetly integrated”.
Elsewhere, In Praise of Shadows recently completed the refurbishment of a historic cinema in Stockholm to create a series of “warm and inviting” spaces.
Other mid-century homes on Dezeen include a residence renovated by Studio Hagen Hall in London and the remodelled Glass Ridge House originally by Ray Kappe.
The photography is by Björn Lofterud.
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