A time-capsule Brutalist bolthole has hit the market in Iceland’s capital, designed by the country’s first female architect.
Högna Sigurðardóttir built the concrete Brekkugerði 19 in 1963, and the Reykjavík property has been remarkably well preserved throughout the last 50 years.
Covering 308 sq m, the ground floor of the five-bedroom house features a built-in concrete seating area, and huge concrete hearth in the living room. Rooms have concrete and stucco ceilings and walls, original wooden cabinetry, and a mix of sliding glass doors and clerestory windows.
A highlight is the spiral staircase which leads down to the property’s grotto-like swimming pool. The rooftop also doubles as a terrace with views over Reykjavík.
You can try this slice of Icelandic Brutalism before you buy, renting it via Airbnb for £407 per night. The listing states that Brekkugerði 19 received the city of Reykjavik honorary award of ‘The Most Beautiful Building in Reykjavik’ in 1974. It’s on the market via Eignamiðlun for 180 million ISK.
Sigurðardóttir herself has won a string of gongs. She was awarded the Honorary Medal for Visual Arts by the Akureyri Art Museum for her contribution to Icelandic architecture and culture in 2007, and was made an honorary member of the Association of Iceland in 2008.
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