VALRYGG studio

18/03/2026

Im exited to share our winning proposal for «Slipen» - housing on the island of Lovund, Norway, which is now under construction.

The concept is simple: connecting the floating sauna and boat harbour to the public beach via a pedestrian path between the buildings that serves as a street garden. This protected space is providing the islanders with a new type of public space to meet, enhancing Lovund’s urban qualities.

13/02/2026

A small update from VALRYGG studio. We are taking the production to our island!

It means shorter transport, fewer middle steps, more local hands involved.

It means we can follow the wood from start to finish. We can be stricter about what we use, what we waste, and what we keep.

It also means I can be more involved in the process. It means I can collaborate directly with the craftsperson and ensure our products meet the highest standards.
For the community, it means that we can create jobs for skilled people who dream of living on a remote island in the north. We are working together to make this new setup work.

If you’ve been following for a while, you know I care about places.

This is me taking that seriously, all the way into production. This is the transition year, and we are starting with the VALRYGG Shelving collection.

21/12/2025

Vi i Ikke A4 er så stolte og glade for å lansere vårt samarbeid med VALRYGG Studio.

Sammen skal vi utvikle konsepter som binder strategi, merkevare og sanseopplevelser tettere sammen slik at steder ikke bare ser bra ut, men skal være uforglemmelige.

✨Vi ønsker å skape steder som føles like ekte som de ser ut ✨

I Ikke A4 brenner vi for å skape konsepter som gjør mer enn å se bra ut. De skal kjennes, oppleves og gi mening både i markedsføringen og i møte med virkeligheten. Derfor har vi inngått et faglig samarbeid med VALRYGG Studio, hvor vår strategiske og kreative kraft møter deres kompetanse på...

21/11/2025

14/11/2025

Good morning, from the edge of the sea.

I’m Anita, architect and founder of VALRYGG Studio.

I’ve run my architect studio for twelve years in Copenhagen. Two years ago, I moved my studio, to a small island on the Helgeland coast, called Handnesøya. Here, my work is tangled up with weather, soil, wood, and the slow education of learning each plant’s name.

Here, design is not separate from life; from how we sleep, eat, care and recover. My body was craving to feel the elements and to live in a home where you can hear the storm outside. The island life is perfect for that.

From this place I’m building:
• VALRYGG Studio – sense-led, seasonal architecture, interiors and objects
• Reika – flexible solid-wood houses made for real Nordic conditions 
• The Slow Sunday Club – letters for those who want to live closer to what’s real (link in bio)

This week I’m sharing more of this story. If there’s something specific you’re curious about, leave it below and I’ll fold it into the next posts!

Anita

13/11/2025

I wasn’t tired of the city. I was hungry.

Hungry for soil under my nails, sea salt on the windows, autumn storms, real winter darkness. For houses that are weathered by the seasons.

This move was a design decision.

Out here I can:
• watch the light in February and July
• see what materials survive storms
• learn the plants by season, not by Pinterest
• build spaces and rituals that come from a real landscape, not a moodboard

VALRYGG Studio is my way of sharing that work. If you’ve been feeling the same pull: to live closer to what’s real, you’re in the right place.

Save this if it hits something true. Share it with someone who’s been dreaming of a different way of living.

11/11/2025

I didn’t come here to run away from my life. I came because something in me wanted to be closer.

Closer to the wind, to the tide, and to the plants I kept seeing on walks and couldn’t yet name. Closer to the materials I was drawing on paper. Closer to a kind of home that felt honest in this climate.

The island is not an aesthetic choice. It’s a workshop. A testing ground.

VALRYGG Studio grew from that longing:
to design homes, cabins, rooms and rituals that belong to their place. That let you feel the season you’re in,
that make sense for real people and a real planet.

This is the beginning of that story. I’m glad you’re here.

🌾

If you’d like to follow this work more closely, The Slow Sunday Club is where I write the deeper letters.

11/10/2025

Tomorrow The Slow Sunday Club is back and I decided to welcome winter this year. Sensecraft your home with me for the darker months ahead and be the first to see my two latest projects from the studio. 🧡 subscribe now via the link in my bio to receive this letter which will be sent tomorrow morning 🌅

10/09/2025

Last week, our floating sauna arrived at Lovund. I look forward to a session once the electricity is in place and the weather cools down. Meanwhile is about to get a new online makeover - I can’t wait to show you the results. September is busy; and so is the admiral butterfly in my mint bed. The bees as well, yes we just got bees! 🐝 ps. Yarrow tea is the secret!

06/09/2025

This morning, our floating sauna lett the harbour in Mo i Rana and is on its way out to the island Lovund on the coast of Helgeland. We keep receiving images from locals along the journey (I love this!) who can see the sauna on its way to her final home. The sauna is inspired by the puffin bird, who arrives at the same time every year to the island.

Photo: Marina Systems/ private

19/08/2025

Coats hanging by the door - that you actually use. This week’s Slow Sunday letter is all about designing for how we live, not how we want things to look. Link in bio.

https://slowsunday.substack.com/p/designing-for-real-life-not-just