Smådalarö Gård: A Historical Estate Reimagined into a Luxurious Spa Hotel

James Anstey's Award-Winning Design Combines Tradition with Modern Comforts

Smådalarö Gård, a unique year-round destination, is located in the heart of Stockholm’s archipelago, just 50 minutes from the Swedish capital. Originally built by an infamous sea captain, Carl Peter Blom, in 1810, the estate has been thoughtfully renovated and reopened in July 2021. The design takes inspiration from the estate's rich history of sea travels, lavish parties, and farming.

What sets Smådalarö Gård apart from other spa hotels is its concept of relaxed luxury. The hotel now boasts one of Sweden’s largest spa retreats, where nature and modern comforts are prevalent. The new structure houses hotel rooms and the spa, built to the side in a red wood-clad building in a traditional Swedish countryside style, but with a modern twist. The motif has been inspired by the old cottages found in the archipelago, thus giving the impression of several smaller buildings standing next to each other.

The realization of this design was a challenge due to the client's request for a large spa with accompanying facilities, such as treatment rooms, gym etc, along with a number of new hotel rooms plus a new entrance and restaurant, all to be centralized in a new structure within a limited footprint and within height restrictions. The design team, which included Marco Flamini and Ulf Maxe, had to investigate whether it was possible to fit all the required functions into the allowed footprint and height restriction. This was done by calculating what volume each function would require, and thereafter arranging all of the resulting blocks, much like a jenga puzzle, within the available space.

The design project started in September 2018 and was completed with the hotel's opening in July 2021. The structure is a concrete structure enveloped in traditional Swedish red-painted timber. The old manor house, which sits perched atop a hill overlooking the archipelago, takes center stage, while the new structure that houses hotel rooms and spa, have been built to the side. Lateral displacement of the volumes gives the facade of the structure a greater depth.

The design of Smådalarö Gård Hotel & Spa has been recognized for its outstanding expertise and innovation. It was awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2022. The Silver A' Design Award is rewarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.