GRAPHĒ: On Norway’s Western Coast, a Tiered Retreat Lets the Landscape Lead

The home’s locally sourced materials and upright, blocky form "enhance the atmosphere" of its surrounding fjord and mountains.

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Project Details:

Location: Valldal, Norway

Architect: Office Inainn / @inainn.eu

Footprint: 1,367 square feet

Builder and Sound Engineer: Sunmørsalpar AS

Structural and Civil Engineer: Norconsult AS

Cabinetry Design: Limstrand Interiør AS

Photography: ONI Studio / @onistories

From the Architect: "Built without leveling the land, this hillside residence redefines what it means to build with—rather than on—the landscape. On Norway’s dramatic western coast, a new private residence by Office Inainn completes a quiet yet striking conversation between architecture and nature. Designed in collaboration with the client and completed in April 2025, the home is perched high above a fjord on a steep, rocky slope—where building is always a negotiation with the terrain.

"From the start, the team chose not to level the steep, rocky terrain—preserving its character instead of reshaping it. This decision defined the entire project. Two subtly shifted volumes follow the slope, creating natural variations in height, guiding light, and eliminating the need for added walls. Rooms emerge from the geometry itself, forming a structure that feels grown rather than built.

"Visitors approach the house along a narrow path between rock and building—a movement that continues inside as a tall, linear corridor. It’s a gentle transition from wild landscape to warm interior. Light filters in through wooden walls that reflect the changing tones of the coast, until finally the view opens wide to the fjord. Each room frames this view differently, responding to trees, terrain, and shifting light.

"Materials were locally sourced or chosen to feel native to the site—simple, tactile, and quiet. Their purpose: to enhance the atmosphere, not distract from it."