The Snellman house, begun in 1917 on the outskirts of Stockholm, was one of the pioneering works of the Nordic neo-classical revival. It was also the first major work of Erik Gunnar Asplund. In the Snellman house Asplund not only reinterpreted Swedish neo-classical design traditions but also displayed a great sensitivity to the possibilities offered by the site. The building is an attempt to accommodate a modern home in a structure one-and-a-half rooms wide. The one-room width, formerly used in the ‘paired cottage’, and its descendants is not really equal to modern requirements as regards ancillary spaces, heating and communication.