Customer Reviews

The Swedish House

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2 star:		(1)
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The Swedish (original) edition is titled "Swedish wooden houses" which is quite an essential piece of information for a buyer. That's what's linking the humblest farmers hut with a grand manor in this book. The emphasis is on interiors and a few are more than slightly deteriorating into a romantic peeling-paint-and-wallpaper inferno, but mainly it's a fair selection of different types of rooms. Exteriors are also presented and I think there is a good balance. Photograps are excellent as always when Ingalill Snitt provides them.

Sjoberg is the quintessential art historian and his book captures the history and soul of Swedish architecture beautifully.

The photos and related text guide you through a brief history of the traditional houses and building styles found in Sweden. By looking thoughtfully at the photos, you'll get a clear view of how these houses are constructed and why they are still standing today after years of abandonment and neglect.

If you ever visit Sweden (and go beyond Skansen in Stockholm), you'll see these "silent houses" throughout the countryside. Sjoberg brings them back to life with his deep understanding of their history and relevance to the 21st Century.

I'd hoped for more "Swedish" and "House."
The compositions of aged paint and abandoned objects in natural light are beautiful, but not necessarily "Swedish."
It's mostly rooms. With some shots of fenestration, it contains only about 20 large photos showing the exterior of a whole "house."