Vipp Shelter — A Path to Yūgen
On the road – navigating through the deep forests of the southern Sweden. Imagine the painting “Path in the Woods” by Vincent van Gogh. The spring sunshine is highly present — warm enough to keep the heating off. I realise that the light I am seeing is years old and has traveled across trillions of miles to reach me.
The frequency of silence brings a calming slowness to mind. As I peers through the car window I see a shelter that could easily fit into any James Bond movie (preferably played by Sean Connery or Daniel Craig). Secluded, high-end and mysterious. Right next to the lake Immeln.
The Vipp Shelter — a 55 m2 black steel structure that would make any design-obsessed mind fall in love. It is like a childhood dream with a touch of luxury and flair.
The interior is dark and monochrome. Functionalism meets fashionable modernism. Every detail has the Vipp DNA, which makes the experience even more exclusive. Each detail has its place, and nothing is left to chance. Clean lines and hearty materials. Beautiful chairs made of powder-coated aluminium, table top of ceramics, the most comfortable wool blanket, and timeless table lamps.
The Japanese concept yūgen comes to mind. It captures the essence of Vipp — a structure so harmonious with nature that it dissolves into its wooded surroundings. The huge glass sections facing the lake makes you feel outdoors while you are, in fact, indoors. Seems like it was intended to frame the scenery beyond, allowing the user to view the landscape as if it were a painting.
The technique of framing the landscape is often selected in minimalist architecture as a way to blend nature into the design.
Whether it is developing a bin, rethinking the modular kitchen, creating a furniture line or hosting the Vipp Hotel, we still measure the quality of products and concepts on their long-term ability to provide an experience out of the ordinary.
Vipp
As the evening approaches, shadows gather inside the shelter. The fireplace plays the soothing sound of crackling firewood. The tuscan kale has been chopped and cleaned, the Pentland Javelin is being roasted in the owen and a bottle of 2008 Bollinger La Grande Annee has been perfectly aerated. It is indeed a fine evening.
The low morning light brightens into amber hues. Clouds weave through the sky, swatches of sunlight drifting across it like reflections on water.
At the breakfast table, birds sing and flicker around me as I stare at the shimmering lake. I could sit here for a very long time. New unexpected thoughts has developed in my mind. Where is the stream going? Where are the clouds going? Where are the birds going? I don’t really know.
They are wandering on.
