With our city now so laughably unaffordable, thousands of Vancouverites are stuck imagining wonderful homes instead of living in them. Spaced is a record of our minds wandering the world of architecture and design, up and away from the unrewarding realities of shoebox condos, dark basement suites, and sweet fuck all on Craigslist.

(via) This rugged-looking beauty is a Swedish backstuga, or “earth cabin”. It is essentially a half-underground structure of four walls — three of which are built of stone and buttressed by the surrounding soil. Only the sunken frontage and access point is faced with wood. The interior is super basic and utilitarian; the fireplace looks amazing. The green roof has a skylight window and a chimney protruding through its moss.

Once upon a time these were common in the forests of Sweden, inhabited on and off by rural poor and sometimes outlaws. This particular one – hidden on an Airbnb property in the southern province of Småland – was built in the early 19th century by a fellow named “Little Jans”, whose mother and brother had drowned in a nearby lake. It has been lovingly restored at least twice.

If the world was my oyster and I could build one here in BC, I’d put it somewhere tucked away in a similar rainforest environment, perhaps on Vancouver Island near a small town like Sooke or Tofino — preferably within stumbling distance of this.

Photo credit: theworkofcastor.com