Photo: Birgit Fauske

What makes a spa feel so exclusive and relaxing? Perhaps part of the answer is the materials used. How environmentally-friendly and sustainable materials such as natural stone and living plants are combined with physical well-being? How both body and mind experience total comfort?

There was certainly part of the idea when interior designer and owner of OJ! Design and interiør, Kristin Hansen-Øvre, was commissioned to undertake the interior design of a mountain lodge in Gaustablikk near Gaustatoppen in Vestfold and Telemark, Norway.

Kristin and the rest of the team at OJ! work according to the principle that each room must be an experience in itself. For this particular project, the use of natural materials was an integral part of this experience.

– We wanted to bring in as much of nature as possible and make the lodge feel timeless. You never tire of nature, so we simply let nature become part of every room, she explains.

The room where nature is perhaps most present of all is the spa area. So an infinity pool was designed, as a pool that seems to flow on and out into the natural environment.

– We used Offerdal slate both in and around the pool. It has rather special characteristics, which mean that the slate becomes greenish when wet. It alternates between green and blue in colour, rather like a mountain lake, Kristin says.

The Offerdal slate was created by nature 650 million years ago – get to know this beautiful quartzite slate better!

The interior design team also decorated the room with ferns, and lowered the windows to bring them level with the floor. They also placed artificial birch trees as a screen between the spa area and the shower.

– The idea is to give a sense of being one with nature, but with a much greater degree of comfort, so we designed this screen of artificial birch trees, to give the impression that nature continues right into the lodge. To reinforce this, we even designed an artificial mountain stream, she adds.

Although the spa area may be the most striking feature of the lodge, it is by no means the only place where intelligent, natural design is prominent.

And this was exactly the point for Kristin and the rest of the team at OJ!, who wanted the cabin’s design to be cohesive and streamlined. 

– We worked further on this, by using the same type of slate in several rooms, from paved outdoor areas to the spa area. I think mixing too many different materials can get a bit messy.

– Using the same materials in several areas of the lodge is a good idea for several reasons. When you have a calm base, like natural stone, you can be creative with a lot of the other furnishings.

– You can change all the furniture and interiors to create a completely different mood in your cabin. Natural stone also works really well with natural colours and helps create a warm and cosy atmosphere, she explains.

Another very prominent feature in the lodge is the chandelier hanging in the living room. It is shaped like a wheel and consists of 25 glass balls. It was specially designed in collaboration with Hadeland Glassverk.

– Here too, the idea was that this could have been found in the landscape around the cabin. We used a wheel that could have come from an old horse carriage and decorated it with twigs, she explains.

In one of the bathrooms, there is also a wall completely covered with moss.

– We just used elements from the local area and created a greenwall. Once again, it’s all about feeling close to nature, which is something we wanted to permeate the entire lodge, she concludes.

Slate products used in this project: tiles and outdoor tiles.