This past May my partner, Madeleine, and I were able to take a tiny bit of time from work to travel. We chose a few days in Iceland and then five days in Stockholm, Sweden. There is an inherent magic to Scandinavia and all of what defines it. The rugged, rustic landscapes of Iceland and the clean, perfect beauty of Stockholm were an engaging contrast. For myself, it was the chance to see up close the building practices and beautiful woodwork design that I have been passionately researching online and inspecting in Scandinavian films. The Swedish platform framing model is a more advanced way of looking at how we frame wood houses, with the simple but smart philosophy of the insulation being the most important factor in the wall system. The minimal, practical and often elegant woodworking in homes and commercial spaces was superb eye candy for this eager carpenter. The way we choose to finish our surroundings and living spaces with wood trim, shelves, doors, windows or mouldings will always be interesting to me. And how we use these wood elements, not only as a building practice to cover gaps or seams, but also to bring that space warmth, energy, and life.

One of the highlights of our trip was our visit to Unesco World Heritage Site, Skogskyrkogården, the Woodland Cemetery. The landscape, history and architecture of this very spiritual place were astounding. We took many, many photographs but I would like to share some of the photos of the woodwork.