Creatives needing to get away from it all can take their urge to the extreme at Norway’s Fordypningsrommet, said to be the world’s most northern artist’s retreat.

Musician Håvard Lund founded Fordypningsrommet – sited within the Arctic circle – as a ‘room for deeper studies’, as its name translates. Designed by TYIN Tegnestue Architects and their mentor Sami Rintala, its cluster of cabins are embedded in the rocky landscape of the Fleinvær archipelago and are open to artists and vacationers alike.

‘The objective of our retreat is that visitors are able to experience an undisturbed stay out here amongst nature, finding the inspiration to embark on a new creative journey,’ says Lund.

Each house is clad in Kebony wood – a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood – and sits on angled steel feet. Among them is a sauna, kitchen house, studio, bath house, sleeping houses and a ‘tower for big thoughts’.

‘We really wanted to make the build an environmentally-friendly construction, disrupting the environment as little as possible while maintaining a natural aesthetic,’ adds Lund.

Visitors needing a lightbulb moment need only look out at the rocky coastline, islands of Fleinvær and the Northern Lights illuminating the night sky.

Artists can stay for free if their applications are approved by Lund, musician Nora Taksdal and director Katrine Strøm. At the end of their stay, they will be invited to display their work as part of an exhibition or lecture, fulfilling the retreat’s mantra of sharing knowledge.

But you don’t need to be the next Picasso or Puccini to enjoy Fordypningsrommet. Groups of up to 12 people can book a stay for a week, for the price of 30,000 NOK (€30,000).

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