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A Custom Floating Sauna To Be Enjoyed in the Stockholm Archipelago

01.10.23 | By
A Custom Floating Sauna To Be Enjoyed in the Stockholm Archipelago

Thomas Sandell and Johan Strandlund of Swedish architecture firm sandellsandberg architects designed a custom floating sauna called Big Branzino. With a top speed of five knots, the modern sauna is designed to be enjoyed by its owners and their guests within the Stockholm archipelago. The sauna’s design gives nod to a boat’s bow shape with the arch’s lower part dedicated to getting warm around the fire and the upper part opens up to admire the night sky.

angle above view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

Master carpenter Leif Persson at Kungsör Shipyard in Stockholm built Big Branzino by hand using pine on the exterior to blend in with nature and western red cedar for the interior and furniture. The sauna’s volume is built atop a catamaran steel hull which keeps it balanced and stable, while providing much-needed storage space.

angled view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

modern wooden floating sauna on water

end view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

side view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

The lower level houses two layers of benches oriented around a sauna oven that was custom designed by a blacksmith with glass on all sides.

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water with fire burning

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

On the deck, the steering equipment is built within a cedar cabinet with a revolving brass case on top to hides all of the modern navigation equipment. The steering wheel was custom made to match the rest of the brass details.

steering wheel of floating modern sauna

interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

closeup of light switches in interior of modern wooden floating sauna on water

looking up ladder to roof of modern wooden floating sauna on water

angled above view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

On the top deck level, a cedar table with brass handles is designed to fold up and be stowed away when more room is needed.

above view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

twilight view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

twilight view of modern wooden floating sauna on water

Photos by Filip Gränström.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.