At home with Philip Battin

The house was originally designed by Holger Sinding-Larsen (1869–1938), one of the leading Norwegian architects of his time. Known for his strong belief in Norwegian tradition and for designing the Holmenkollen Chapel, he created Kroken as an expression of true Norwegian form: simple, well-proportioned, and inspired by rural architecture. Some of those characteristics remain today, such as the large soapstone fireplace in the living room, said to have been brought by Sinding-Larsen from Gudbrandsdalen, a large valley in eastern Norway known for its traditional architecture and rich cultural heritage.

Today, the house belongs to Philip, a Danish design director who moved to Norway from California. At Google, he explores future uses of AI and develops high-tech accessories for the home, all from his desk at Nesodden, powered by a Starlink connection.

His work in high-tech stands in stark contrast to the surroundings: an old wooden house tucked away among the trees and stillness. “It’s a bit wild that you can live out in the forest and still be part of a global team,” he says. “If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I never would've thought that it would even be an option.”

Philip actually came across the house by accident, not even knowing about Nesodden beforehand. He knew from the start that he wanted to live close to nature and experience something distinctly Norwegian. “What we really loved about living in San Francisco was the closeness to nature and being able to pursue lots of different hobbies. We could go surfing, drive in the desert, and go skiing all in the same day. That’s why we landed in Norway when we were ready to move from California; we saw that we could maintain that kind of lifestyle here as well.”

Philip describes the community of people living in proximity to him as open-minded and creative, in contrast to his upbringing in the Danish countryside, which he remembers as more closed and conventional. “I think many young people choose to live in places where you can be closer to nature now, because of the rise of remote working. You don’t have to live in the city anymore. It creates small communities that are quite alternative.”

Philip has visited and drawn inspiration from other small, tight-knit communities that embody a similar spirit, places like Sea Ranch and Bolinas in California, where artists and surfers created alternative ways of living in the 1960s, or Marfa, Texas, where minimalist artist Donald Judd built a home and invited like-minded people to live and work close to nature. “These kinds of places represent something larger for me: a growing movement of people choosing to live slower, more connected lives outside the big cities, made possible by technology and remote work. A kind of modern subculture, clusters of people scattered around the world, drawn together by shared values rather than geography.”

Taking his time with the restoration and making thoughtful, sustainable choices, the house is slowly taking shape the way he envisioned it.

“Kroken reflects a way of living. Here, among like-minded people and surrounded by nature, I can work, create, and explore at my own pace, and I think as remote work opens new doors, places like this quietly grow into small, alternative communities built around passion and nature.”