In the Stockholm archipelago houses are like sandcastles, getting lower, smaller and sturdier the farther out you go. Skarpö, within an hour’s commute of the city, is scattered with lofty summer villas. “95% of those houses are on one half of the island,” Lisa Ullenius says. “Ours is on the other.” She and her husband Andreas restored two houses on a 3-acre property, researching Swedish building traditions to invent bathrooms where none had been and make functioning kitchens. It helped that Andreas has relatives who are conservators “of paintings and castles,” he says. “They helped us a lot and could connect us with people. I know this sounds completely delirious, but we wanted to be honest. You know, authentic in spirit.“ Dream photos by @felixodell for our story in @wsjmag @villasolbacka1911