In the tall pine forest of Northern Sweden a new addition to the renowned Treehotel opened in January 2017. Hovering ten meters above the ground within the tree canopy, the Snøhetta-designed 7th room provides its guests with a breathtaking view of the Lapland treetops and the Lule River. With focus on the surrounding nature, the design features large windows, a netted terrace suspended above the forest floor, and a tree stretching up through the cabin. The boundaries between indoors and outdoors are blurred, making the cabin part of the forest. 

The 7th room experience begins when approaching the cabin from the forest. Nearing the base of the tree, the view of the complete cabin gradually recedes as a sixth façade appears. This façade is the bottom of the cabin, where a 12 x 8-meter surface is covered with a large black and white print of trees reaching up into the sky. A staircase brings guests from the ground and up into the cabin, along with a small lift for transporting luggage.

Built as a traditional Nordic cabin, the wooden façade is clad with pine boards. The surface is burnt to create a dark and maintenance free façade. The indoor flooring is made from ash wood, while birch plywood is used for the interior walls. With complementing light, wooden furniture, the interior makes up a blonde Nordic contrast to the dark exterior.

The design of the 7th room aims to bring people and nature closer together, extending the cabin’s social spaces to the outside and further blending the distinction between indoor and outdoor. Entering the cabin, one arrives into the lounge area. This is thought of as a social space, and it is furnished with a central pellet stove and simple, yet characteristic furniture such as Scandia Chair by Norwegian furniture designer Hans Brattrud. A north-facing floor-to-ceiling window gives you the best chance to see the Aurora Borealis on a clear day, giving this social space the name the Northern Light lounge.